die zwei Flügel
by chariotdunord
Summary: "Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world" Psalm 19:4. Vignettes of Tsubasa and Kanade's past together before Kanade's death and before they were Zwei Wing.
1. The Gungnir Girl

"Keep her alive!" Kazanari Genjuro yelled.

The staff rushed about the operation room, attending to the girl collapsing onto the operation room's floor. Blood spewed incessantly from her mouth and pooled around her.

A deafening alarm. Frantic shouts. The glass pane separating them did little to suppress the noise.

Kazanari Tsubasa, also watching through the glass from the observation deck, could barely keep her eyes on the girl as she continued to cough off more and more blood.

A bright light flashed from the girl, and a deafening boom shook the room, blasting away several technicians around her.

In the wake of the explosion was only a still silence. Tsubasa could no longer see the girl, collapsed as she was below the view of the glass. She contemplated stepping forward to get a better vantage.

A bloodied hand flew up and slapped the glass right in front of her. Tsubasa jumped back with a gasp behind her uncle.

The girl slowly rose up from the floor. She was now clad in a black, white, and orange armor.

"This is the power I can fight with," she said, her voice raspy. "My Symphogear!"

Blood no longer ran from her mouth but was smeared across her upper torso and the fringes of her orange hair. It was an appalling sight, but Tsubasa stared at the girl in front of her in awe. After subjecting herself to months of excruciating training and experimentation, she finally attained the power she seeked. This was the culmination of the girl's self-inflicted torture.

A long haired brunette rushed from her monitor to the window.

"We need some more men in here!" She said into the intercom. "Stay still, Kanade, we need to check your vitals."

"I'm fine, Ryoko-san!" She held up a clenched fist to her face. "I feel great! I—"

Her power fled as suddenly as it came. Her armor disintegrated in a flash of light, taking with it her strength. Her eyes rolled back into her head, and she fell to the floor.

"Kanade!"

"Stay here, Tsubasa," Genjuro said. He and Ryoko hurried to the door connecting the two rooms.

Steeling herself with a deep breath, Tsubasa approached the glass pane once more. She expected the floor to be bathed with even more blood, but with the amount that she had just lost, perhaps it wasn't possible.

Genjuro and Ryoko rushed into the operation room. As they picked up Kanade's prone body, Tsubasa noticed that the girl's hand was still clenched in a tight, determined fist.

* * *

The automatic door hissed shut behind her as Tsubasa stepped nervously into the room. It was a medical ward, tucked away in the corner of the hospital wing of Division 2's underground headquarters. She gave a curt bow towards its inhabitant, lying down on the only bed in the room.

"S-sorry to intrude," she said, her voice almost a whisper.

Amou Kanade's eyes fluttered open, and she turned her head to see who had entered.

"You're the other Gear user aren't you?"

Upon the sight of her visitor, Kanade began pushing herself up into a seated position.

"Yes…"

Tsubasa approached her, taking slow, unsure steps. She sat down at an empty stool beside the bed.

Tsubasa watched as Kanade struggled to support herself on her elbows.

"Perhaps... perhaps I may–"

"No, I can do it myself!"

Kanade groaned under the weight of her own body. It was infuriating. How could she fight when it strained her so much just to sit up?

Her anger was just what she needed. With a grunt, she heaved herself up, and then allowed her back to fall back on the padded bedpost.

"That's... good progress." Tsubasa said, trying to give an encouraging smile.

"Not good enough." Kanade panted. A bead of sweat trailed down her jawline. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Well, since you are able to summon your Gear now, we will be fighting soon together. The commander said that we should… spend some more time together."

"Ah, if we get along, we'll have better coordination on the battlefield - that sort of thing, huh?"

"I… suppose."

Kanade looked over the girl next to her. Her long, blue hair fell over face, partly concealing her downcast eyes. She sat straight in the stool, hands folded in her lap.

Everything about her was rigid and formal, and to Kanade's knowledge, the most rigid structures were the easiest to topple. Though her voice was friendly, her tense posture betrayed her desire to be here. But that was fine with her. Kanade didn't want anyone to be around her now - not when she was so weak.

Unable to meet Kanade's lingering gaze, Tsubasa stared down at her hands. It was hard to look at the person in front of her. The screams of rage and anger, the painful experiments she willingly took part in - it made her a frightening being.

"What's your name?" Kanade asked.

"My name?"

Tsubasa allowed her own eyes to rise carefully, cautiously, from her hands to the bed, to her torso - up her chest, her neck, her chin... and finally, Kanade's piercing red eyes.

"Kazanari Tsubasa."

Tsubasa felt her heart racing against her chest. She saw an intensity in those eyes she had never seen before. It was a burning flame of anger and resentment as hot as the red of her irises. But behind it all, she saw a great sadness.

Kanade looked away. She leaned her head against the bedpost and sighed.

"Amou Kanade, but Kanade is fine."

"Nice to meet you… Kanade."

"Nice to meet you too."

 _So the commander wants me to befriend this girl?_

Tsubasa seemed nice enough if not a little too shy. But how could she? Ever since she was taken into custody, she had wondered - if this girl had her Symphogear, why wasn't she there when the Noise swarmed? With her power, why wasn't she sent in to fight them off? Why didn't she save her family?

"How long are you staying here? You can leave if you want."

"Eh? No, I – well..." Tsubasa was at a loss for an excuse.

Her eyes fell to the floor again, and she felt her cheeks burn. She didn't want to be there, but she couldn't leave now with Kanade's blunt dismissal. With their mutual disdain for the situation in the air, they could only endure it to the end.

And endure they did. Time passed by slowly in silence, the two girls unable to look at each other.

A nurse entered the room and announce the end of the visiting hours.

Glad for the chance to leave, Tsubasa hurriedly stood, bowed, and followed the nurse to the door.

"You look too soft to be a warrior." Kanade said as Tsubasa left.

Tsubasa barely had time to look back before the door shut before her, closing her off from her new partner.

* * *

Genjuro had little free time as the commander of Division 2. He was required to be standby at all times, even on the weekends when he returned to his traditional house secluded in the mountains. But with the ever looming threat of the Noise, his workplace at the headquarters had become his second home.

It was Friday, and Genjuro sat at his desk in his office, waiting through the last of minutes of his shift before he had to sojourn for the weekend. A stack of completed paperwork lay next to him, and his computer monitor displayed the latest reports from various departments. Most troubling to him were those from the psychoanalysts...

It was then that his niece entered, preceded briefly by a knock at the door.

"Please excuse me," she said, approaching his desk.

"Tsubasa. Something wrong?"

"It's... it's about Amou Kanade-san."

"Kanade? How is she?"

Even after summoning her Gear, her body's rejection of the relic was worse than ever. It took a whole month for her to recover enough from the backlash. But with the new data, the completed formula is on its way to production, and as soon as he heard she could receive visitors, Genjuro decided to have Tsubasa visit her regularly.

He would do it himself, but with his busy schedule it was simply infeasible. Although, he knew relying on his niece would do the two of them some good.

"It has been a couple of weeks, but… we don't really get along."

"What do you mean?"

"When I visit her, we don't talk. We just sit there."

Genjuro let out a deep sigh. "I see."

He turned off the computer, stood up from his desk, and headed towards the door.

"Come on, Tsubasa."

The two headed out into the corridors of the headquarters. Around them, staff members were leaving for their homes, save the overnight crew, and the facilities were being put into low-power mode one by one, gradually darkening the lighting around them.

"I'm sorry, commander," Tsubasa said. "I believe I have failed this task."

Tsubasa could recognize when she lacked a certain skill. Though she knew it intuitively before, she had now experienced first-hand her ineptitude in the social sphere. But she was resigned to it. As a tool of the Kazanari family, it was just something she had to deal with.

"Don't see this as a task, Tsubasa," Genjuro said. "Do you why I'm having you do this?"

"I thought it was to build our teamwork, so we could perform better."

"There is that, but..."

They reached the elevators. They didn't have to wait, and soon they were rocketing upwards to the surface. Under low-power, the normally multicolored panels of the vast elevator shaft sped past in hues of dark blue and purple, casting wild shadows across the interior of the elevator chamber.

"Tsubasa, this is somewhat confidential, but I'll let you in a little," Genjuro said. "In short, the psychologists from the mental health sub-division aren't happy with Kanade's results... and neither are they with yours."

"Mine? What's the matter?"

"Unfortunately that's all I can say, or risk ruining the integrity of their analysis. But I'm not going to lie either, that I don't have my own personal reasons for having you do this. It'll help both you kids."

"Help us… in what way?"

"Kanade lost her family in the worst way, and now she believes she's lost everything. She needs someone right now. She needs someone by her side."

"Why me?"

"You're about the same age as her. You're the most suited for her of anyone here."

"Then… what about me? You said it'll help both of us."

"How should I say this…" Genjuro sighed again, and he placed a hand on his niece's head. "Tsubasa, you haven't had the chance yet to live your own life."

"I'm not sure I understand?"

"You don't have to right now, though someday you will - hopefully someday soon. Just know that as an adult, I'm looking out for you, alright?"

Tsubasa nodded slowly. "Alright... then I'll keep doing my best, commander."

"Good." He removed his hand.

 _I wish she would just call me uncle for once._ He thought. _Poor child._

"Amou-san… scares me a little."

Genjuro grunted in agreement. "I guess she can be, right now."

But Genjuro knew that at the moment, Kanade was only like an animal, lashing out in violence when provoked - and provoked she was. The Noise attack during her family's vacation had to be one of the most brutal yet. Tsubasa wasn't the only one that was scared.

"You just need something to break the ice."

At those words, light flooded the chamber, and the elevator broke through to the surface. The underground headquarters was located under the prestigious Lydian Music Academy. There were many entrances, and this elevator was located on the very edges of the campus grounds. Though the campus was normally sparse of high school students at the headquarters' closing hours, it nevertheless allowed for an inconspicuous exit.

Genjuro and Tsubasa stepped out, and found themselves standing inside an old storage shed filled with sports paraphernalia. A window revealed a courtyard outside, situated between the dorms and the main classroom buildings. Nearby was a long pavilion for bike racks, as well as a small parking area for cars.

"You plan to attend here, don't you, Tsubasa?"

"Yes, if not I would have to continue my private studies at home."

They left through a back entrance, and headed towards the back of the parking lot. From there, Genjuro would drive Tsubasa home first, and then head back himself.

It had become routine for them on the end of the weekdays. Her uncle's home wasn't far away from the school, as by necessity of his work, but he always took the time to drive Tsubasa the longer distance to her house.

"You think Yatsuhiro will allow you?" He asked while opening the car door for his niece.

"Father... has only allowed me yet to be tutored at home." Tsubasa climbed into the car and shut the door. "But this is a private school, so there might be a possibility."

Genjuro quickly followed her in. "Well, you have three years. I wouldn't worry about it."

They soon left the school grounds, and Tsubasa peered out the window at her desired high school. Singing had been her hobby since she could remember, and she pictured the music filled halls of Lydian resonating brightly in their song.

The academy receded from her sight. The greenery that grew around the school grew thicker, and eventually flanked them on both sides of the road in thick, dense lines.

"The only thing I am worried about," she said, unusually softly. "Is whether... with my classmates, whether I will–"

"You'll be fine, Tsubasa."

The sun was still high above the horizon.

 _This will be good for her._ He thought. _You'll be fine._

* * *

"What are those?" Kanade asked.

"They are from the commander and Ryoko-san."

Tsubasa placed a vase of flowers on a nightstand beside Kanade's desk. The flowers in full bloom, and spouted encouragements of healing in the vivacity of their colors.

Tsubasa found her stool. She purposely moved hers stool closer to the bed this time, and closer to the head of the bed too. The proximity was enough to set her heart racing, but she sat down in determination.

 _Break the ice, Tsubasa._ She thought to herself. _She needs someone by her._

"H-how have you been?" Tsubasa began nervously.

Kanade gave a questioning look. She had gotten accustomed to sitting in silence with the girl. Kanade wasn't a quiet person by nature, but what was of any importance to talk about? All she did was lie on the bed all day - often in pain. The only thing pulling her through was the thought of her family's petrified faces as they turned to dust and crumbled away.

But this time seemed to be different. The girl seemed unusually talkative, and she was sitting unusually close to her side.

"I'm sore as ever. But at least I can sit up now without any problems."

"That's good."

Kanade closed her eyes and leaned back her head. It was still nowhere near the state she wanted. But at least the scientists have figured out the correct formula. Thinking about donning her Gear again really riled her up.

"The weather has been getting cooler... has it not?"

 _Geez, she's still talking?_ Kanade thought. _And about the weather?_

"Well I wouldn't know. I'm cooped up here all day."

"Oh, right. I'm sorry, I–"

"Don't worry about it," Kanade said with a wave of her hand. "You don't have to be so uptight around me."

They've fallen into silence again. She was used to it, but with the brief conversation after days of silence, she couldn't help opening an eye and taking a peep at the unusually talkative girl next to her. Kanade saw that she was looking down at her hands again, but she also saw was a face of harsh determination.

 _She's really trying, isn't she?_

"My father tells me that how you behave reflects how you feel about yourself," Tsubasa said.

Kanade opened her eyes again and sat forward towards her. "You saying I don't care about myself?"

Tsubasa jumped in her seat. "No! That's not it. I was only… explaining myself."

She caught herself staring into those orange eyes again. This time, they were questioning stares, searching, probing her inner intentions.

 _Have I made things even worse between us?_

Kanade sighed and leaned back.

"Well you're right. I don't. All those experiments, all that pain. I've thrown myself away because there's nothing left for me. Avenging my family's death is all I have. That's all there is for me."

Tsubasa shifted nervously in her seat. "You… should not say that about yourself."

"Yeah? And what do you fight for?" Kanade turned herself on the bed away from Tsubasa. "What reason do you have to throw yourself into the pits of hell?"

Tsubasa was at a lost for words. She had never thought about those things before.

 _What I fight for..._

She had been training for so long - since she was a toddler - she must have been able to conjure up some reason. She searched her mind for an answer, but found herself only grasping at vague wisps of purpose.

Tsubasa thought of all those hours spent in the training room of her house. The wooden mat floors, the her own shouts with every swing of her sword, and the sound of her father's voice constantly prodding her along.

" _You can do better than that. You're a Kazanari."_

" _More, Tsubasa! You're slowing!"_

That voice was always pushing her - to uphold the family name, to represent the family - and that was what she did. She trained under that mantra for years, and it became her purpose. But she knew deep down, that though she was pushed forward by her duty, she herself did not take a single step.

 _What indeed...?_

A nurse entered the room. "Visiting hours are closing, ma'am."

Tsubasa rose from her stool, and was just about to turn and leave before Kanade spoke.

"Hey uh… sorry about my behavior lately," she mumbled. "I guess I haven't been the most friendly person. "

Tsubasa looked back to Kanade. Her gaze was still away from her, staring at the blank wall across the room. Her expression was unreadable.

"Ma'am?" The nurse called again.

"I'm sorry. I'll be leaving now."

Tsubasa turned towards the exit and headed towards the door. She bowed once more before stepping out.

"Try to get out more, okay?" Kanade said, and the door hissed shut.

Tsubasa stared blankly at the closed metal door in front of her. She wondered about Kanade's apology. Did she do it? Are things between them changing? It was hard to tell.

"Ma'am, this way please," the nurse said.

"I'm sorry. Right away."

But Tsubasa knew that this will take time. She didn't expect to form a deep friendship in just one visit - especially not with her inexperience. It was shaky beginning, but it was a beginning nonetheless.

* * *

"Just a few more steps, Amou-san. You can do it."

Kanade's legs wobbled and strained under the weight of body, threatening to give out under her at any minute. The only thing keeping her from collapsing to the floor was the vice grip her hands had on the support rails flanking either side of her.

"Just a few more steps!" Her nurse cheered, standing on the other end of the walking rails.

Kanade swore under her breath, and forced another step. Her legs felt like wet noodles, and shook beneath her. Her arms were burning, and the sweat that coated her skin loosened her grip on the rails with every passing second. Her arms couldn't support her any longer.

"Ugh!" she cried out. Her legs buckled and she fell to the floor.

Her nurse rushed to her side. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," she panted, sitting up. "I'm fine."

"It's okay. You're getting better everyday."

Kanade wasn't sure herself. To abate the muscular atrophy her physical therapy had begun as soon as her condition was stable enough to allow it. She knew its necessity, but it only reminded her of just how weak she was at the moment.

"You're not going to improve any other way," her nurse said, seemingly reading her thoughts. "And after this, I'm sure you'll be even stronger than you were before!"

"I know." Kanade looked away from her. "But I still don't like it."

Kanade's gaze then fell on the window across the room, and especially on the blue-haired girl watching her furtively through the glass.

"Hey!" Kanade shouted, and Tsubasa jumped.

"Ah, Kazanari-san has been here a while." Her nurse stood up, and offered a hand to help Kanade up. "Technically it's your usual visiting time. Would you like me to let her in?"

Kanade let the nurse guide her to a set of plush chairs in the corner of the room, all the while keeping her gaze upon the other girl behind the glass.

Outside the room, Tsubasa shifted nervously under Kanade's fiery stare. At being discovered, she found herself looking anywhere but inside, especially with those eyes staring back at her.

Finally, the door opened, and the nurse beckoned her in.

"I'll let you two chat alone," she said as Tsubasa stepped in. The nurse exited the room and closed the door behind her.

Tsubasa could only look down at her own feet. "Sorry… for the intrusion."

"Yeah, were you watching me?" Kanade asked.

"I'm sorry, I did not know that-"

"Ah, whatever." Kanade said, waving her hand. "Just sit down."

Tsubasa bowed deeply as a final apology, and crossed the room towards Kanade. Passing the various equipment in the room, she shuffled up to the second chair next to Kanade and gingerly took her seat.

The proximity of their chairs towards each other was greater than any time before. So close that their knees were mere centimeters from touching. Even worse - Tsubasa thought - they were arranged face-to-face.

Kanade crossed her arms and sighed. "Normally I would be back in my room by now, but I guess I lost track of time."

"No, I am a bit early this time…" Tsubasa said.

Tsubasa saw Kanade raised a hand, and slowly clenched it into a fist.

"I-I really am sorry for watching you-"

"Hey, calm down." Kanade said, noticing her flinch. "My nurse just told me to practice tightening my muscles, is all."

"Oh…" Tsubasa watched as Kanade opened her hand and flexed her fingers, then switch to her other hand to repeat the process.

"I just don't like being seen so weak." Kanade said under her breath.

Not when she could barely support herself on her own two legs like a floundering infant. Not when she was supposed to be ripping apart the monsters that killed her family with her Symphogear, instead of having to be helped just to walk to the bathroom.

"I don't think you're weak," Tsubasa said, barely a whisper.

"Huh? What was that?"

"I don't think you're weak," Tsubasa said, louder this time. "When I was watching you… you looked like you were working really hard."

Kanade blinked in surprise.

"Uh… thanks."

"And I thought," Tsubasa continued, her voice dying down even further than before. "Maybe someday I can be strong too."

As quiet as she was, Kanade heard her words loud and clear, and few things have made her as speechless as hearing those words from Tsubasa. All this time, she had thought she was being put down. She thought she was humiliating herself in front of one who didn't even consider her own a comparison.

"You said to me, I look too weak to be a warrior," Tsubasa continued. She didn't know why she was saying all this to her. They didn't even like each other, and yet she was pouring out her feelings.

"Oh… yeah. Well, I uh…"

"I think so too. I try my best everyday but it never seems to be good enough. I worry that I'm not ready for this."

A long silence fell between them, as weighty as what had been said. They sat quietly, pondering over each other's words.

"Uh… just wondering," Kanade spoke eventually. "How old are you?"

Tsubasa was taken back at the question. "I'm… I turned twelve years old recently."

 _That's even younger than me! That's insane!_

"And… and they make you fight the Noise all by yourself?"

"Actually... I have not fought yet."

Kanade almost threw herself out of her chair. "You haven't?!"

"I have not yet been granted permission. There are various reasons - my age… and also because they do not wish to lose their only Gear user."

"Hm, but now that they have me…"

"It will be soon, I imagine."

Kanade nodded in agreement. Probably as soon as she was out of the hospital.

But this explained why. It explained why the division seemed so passive in the face of the global threat. Kanade had hated it - how they refused to take their only salvation even while it was already in their hands.

"I guess I can't blame you…" Kanade said quietly under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." Kanade shook her head. "So, you scared?"

Tsubasa nodded slowly.

Kanade gave a confident grin. "Well then, let's both work hard together."

"Yes…" Tsubasa said, eyes wide.

' _Together'… Is that progress?_

"Wow, twelve…" Kanade sprawled back on her chair. "So you're in, like, the seventh grade?"

Tsubasa had to think for a moment. "Yes... although, I'm tutored at home, so I'm not completely sure."

"Tutored? Are you like one of those wealthy people?"

"Uh… I suppose...?" Tsubasa knew that most kids her age went to public school, but she never associated her family status with her private schooling at home. It was just the way things were.

"Huh, I never would've guessed. You don't look like one."

"Oh…" Tsubasa didn't know how to respond. Was that meant to be a compliment?

"Don't worry, it's a good thing. It means you don't act all snooty and stuff."

"Thank you…" Tsubasa tried to returned the compliment. "You're also very… um..."

She searched for some good quality to use, but nothing came to mind. It wasn't that Kanade was such a terrible person. Tsubasa just didn't know enough about her to say anything. But she had to say something! She felt panic rise up in her chest, and under Kanade's expectant stare Tsubasa felt her cheeks grew hotter with every second of silence.

Eventually Kanade burst out laughing. "I'm really that bad, huh?"

"N-no, I just…" she stammered. Tsubasa stared at her feet, trying in vain to hide her red cheeks. "I do not know you very well."

Kanade smiled inwardly at just how awkward this girl was.

"Well, I guess that explains why you don't seem to get out much."

"I'm very busy. I don't have much time for myself."

Kanade wondered what she had to do everyday that kept her so busy, but before she could ask the door opened and the nurse stepped back into the room.

"I'm back," the nurse said with a smile. She turned to Tsubasa. "Unfortunately, ma'am, visiting hours are closing soon."

Tsubasa rose from her chair. "I'm sorry, I'll be leaving then."

"Also, I'm sorry to say that we'll have to block off a bit of this time for Amou-san's physical therapy," she said as they walked to the door. "Would you mind pushing back your visiting times just a little?"

Tsubasa nodded. "Sure, I can do that."

"See you later," Kanade said.

"Right," Tsubasa said with a bow. "Until next time."

Through the glass window, Kanade watched Tsubasa's form walk quickly by and disappear from view. Then she was gone, as suddenly as she arrived.

 _Pushing back the visits, huh?_

They barely knew each other, but somehow, it left a twinge of disappointment in her.

* * *

 _The asphalt and brick walls echoed with her footsteps and labored breathing as she ran through the dark alleyway._

" _Kanade!" she heard ahead of her. "Help me!"_

 _She then heard another set of footsteps behind her. She was being chased. The clap of footsteps multiplied, growing louder and louder until it was a rolling thunder trampling after her._

" _I'm coming!" she yelled back. Her throat ached, and her legs wobbled feebly beneath her as she ran._

 _A clap of thunder. She whipped her head back to face her pursuers. Lightning seared across the sky and the alley flashed with light. Her view burst with a kaleidoscope of colors. They scurried across her vision in a dizzying dance and became vague, bulbous shapes before her._

 _She could see them. It was the Noise, and amid the bright technicolor mass was two figures huddled close together._

" _Mom! Dad!" she yelled. She spun on her foot and turned around._

" _No! Save your sister!"_

" _But-"_

" _Go!"_

" _AAAH!" she cried out, and spun around again._

 _She heard a piercing scream behind her, followed by the shrill screech of the Noise._

 _Another flash of lightning, and ahead of her burst again into a flurry of color. The Noise swarmed, encircling the silhouette of a young girl in a whirlpool of color. A desperate cry rang out from its midst._

" _Help me! Please!"_

" _I'm coming!" She thrusted out a hand._

 _As if sprung by her action, the circle of Noise released a single, high shriek, and pounced on its center._

" _NO!"_

" _KANADE!"_

Kanade's eyes snapped open, and she let out a large gasp. Her chest heaved, and sweat coated her body.

She was fully awake now, despite how late in the night it was - at least, she assumed it was night. There were no windows underground, so she could only judge by the dimmed lights during the headquarters' off-hours.

It was dark and quiet, save the sound of her heavy breathing. The room was cold, but her body felt like nothing but wildfire inside. Staring up at the ceiling, Kanade let her breathing die down, along with her thoughts.

But her thoughts wouldn't. Lying awake, endlessly haunted by her own memories was the norm now. There was too much for her to think about. The echoes of her family's cries in her mind pierced through the dead of night in both her waking and sleep.

Not even tears could lull her, for they had dried up long since the incident. They had been quickly replaced by anger and a burning desire for vengeance.

 _Why didn't anyone saved them?_

It was a question she asked numerous times before, before she knew that someone could - the Second Division. Now she knew why they didn't.

Her physical therapy had started several days ago, and she found herself getting up in the middle of the night to practice. Her progress would never be fast enough to her liking otherwise. This night, her anger soared once more. She threw off her covers, pushed herself up, and swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

Her legs were the weakest, and they needed the most work to recover. Taking a breath, Kanade shoved with her arms off the edge of her bed, propelling her body forward. She threw her leg out to catch herself, but her unused muscles spasmed under her forward weight. Her legs gave out under her, and she crumpled to the floor.

"Dammit!" She pounded the floor with a fist.

Then began a grueling crawl back to her bed, which was at least fortunately low enough that she could just barely manage to pull herself back up.

By the end of it, Kanade lay down over her covers, out of breath. Her skin stuck to the front of her shirt. A night attendant entered the room, and Kanade was glad she had made it back on her bed, though she knew her sweat-drenched body was not a seemly sight.

"Everything alright, Amou-san?" she said, crossing the room.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Kanade noticed her eyebrow rise, and she knew the nurse was questioning how worn out she looked.

"Are you sure? Are you not sleeping well? We can get you some sleep aids."

"No, I'm fine," Kanade said, trying not to let her heavy breathing be too conspicuous. "I just… had a bad dream."

"Okay then, but remember, just push that button if you ever need anything."

Kanade's eyes flitted to a red knob on the side of her bed frame. When she looked back up, the attendant was already exiting the doors of her room.

Being so close to avenging her family and yet being so weak, it infuriated her. Kanade refused to ever press that button. That would be asking for help, and that would mean accepting her weakness. She didn't need anyone to help her - she didn't want it. How could she say she had avenged them if she didn't do it by herself?

Kanade thought of Tsubasa. How could someone like her be ready for combat? From what she could tell, Tsubasa had lived a sheltered life. She was fragile, unfit for the battlefield. She didn't have her loved ones die in front of her. How could she ever face the war against her? She didn't want to work with Tsubasa. She had to fight alone.

" _I have not yet been granted permission…"_ she remembered Tsubasa saying.

 _Who the hell cares..._

Kanade imagined herself being donning her Gear, poised and ready to fight. She would leap onto the battlefield at the instance the alarm sounded. It didn't matter if she didn't have permission. The Noise were slaughtering masses as they spoke. Does anyone ever need permission to do the right thing?

Who was Tsubasa, who could turn away from fighting off the monsters laying waste to humanity just because someone older said "no"? No one could just be that way, except out of strict regimen.

Still, there was something about Tsubasa that intrigued her - or bothered her. She didn't know which.

Her sweat had become chilly against the already freezing temperature of the hospital room. Kanade pulled the covers over herself and closed her eyes. She knew she would be greeted with nothing but the dark nightmares of her damaged psyche, but she willed herself to sleep.

She was willingly throwing herself into hell anyway.

* * *

"Oi! Tsubasa! Look at this!" Kanade shouted as soon as Tsubasa stepped into the room.

"She's doing really well," the nurse explained.

Tsubasa turned her gaze to Kanade, who was standing at the end of the walking rails. Her hands hovered cautiously over the side rails, but other than that she was standing firmly on her two feet. Kanade beamed back at her with a proud and excited grin.

"Watch me," she said.

Kanade then locked her eyes onto her own feet, as if willing them to move. Carefully, she stepped one foot forward. Her muscles twitched as they readjusted her balance, making sure she was rooted properly. Then she stepped the other foot forward. Then again. Soon she was ambling down the rails at an unhurried pace, her hands never touching the rails.

"Wow, that's really great," Tsubasa said as Kanade reached the end of the rails.

"Yes," the nurse said. "It takes a moment for her to get started, but once she does, she's just fine."

Kanade turned back towards Tsubasa with a grin. "Now watch me walk to you!"

"Eh?" Tsubasa jumped.

"Are you sure, Amou-san? There aren't rails around–"

"I'll be fine! Did you see me touch those at all just now?"

Kanade faced Tsubasa and placed a foot forward carefully.

"Ah," Kanade shook a little, and she waved her arms out to steady herself.

"Amou-san…"

"I got this!"

Kanade didn't look down this time. She was wary of the empty space around her, and without the rails her only guide was the destination ahead. Her eyes were locked onto Tsubasa with fierce determination. She took another step forward.

To Tsubasa, Kanade's fiery gaze of concentration seemed to sear its heat onto her cheeks. She involuntarily stepped back once.

"Hey! Don't move away, you're making it harder!"

"S-sorry!"

Kanade took a deep breath. Another step - she kept her eyes on the girl before her.

Kanade didn't know why she was bothering to work so hard trying to walk to her. She just wanted to prove to her that she was becoming stronger - that she couldn't be called weak in any way. So she took another step - her eyes continuously trained on the girl in front of her.

Under her stern gaze, Tsubasa felt her cheeks grew ever hotter the closer Kanade approached. Before long, they were face-to-face, separated by only a mere foot, and Kanade paused.

Tsubasa could hear Kanade's heavy breathing. Her fingers fiddled nervously together as she tried to avoid looking directly into Kanade's eyes.

Kanade closed the distance with one final step and threw her arms arms around Tsubasa's neck. "Gotcha!"

"Ah!" Tsubasa's voice hitched in her throat, and she recoiled at the touch.

But under Kanade's additional weight it only threw off her balance. The two stumbled backwards, huddled together, before finally regaining their footing.

"Whoa!" Kanade said. "That was close."

"S-sorry. You surprised me."

"Good! Now take me back to my seat, I'm exhausted."

"Oh… sure."

Tsubasa wasn't sure how much of her own weight Kanade was leaning on her, but she teetered under the extra weight, not mention the great flush on her cheeks and how weak her legs were at Kanade's sheer proximity and contact as they huddled together and shuffled back to the seats.

"Well, great job, Amou-san,"the nurse said as the two hobbled over to the two chairs. "I am quite thoroughly impressed."

Tsubasa lowered herself and allowed Kanade to sink into the plush chairs. Quite tired herself, she then allowed herself to sit down across in the second chair.

"Write that down in your books," Kanade said. "Tell them I'll be fully recovered in no time!"

"Of course, of course," the nurse said, scribbling some notes down on her notepad. "Now then, I'll leave you two alone. Call me if you need anything."

The nurse exited the room, and as soon as the door clicked behind her, Kanade sat up in her chair.

"Come on, Tsubasa, help me practice some more!"

"Eh?" Tsubasa looked around nervously. "Shouldn't… shouldn't the nurse be with you?"

"It'll be fine! I've done it before! C'mon!"

"I… I do not think we should."

"Ugh," Kanade leaned back in her chair. "Don't be so stiff all the time."

"Rules are rules though," Tsubasa replied. "You have to follow them."

Kanade cringed. "It's that kind of thinking that I don't like about you."

"I'm… sorry?"

"How can you just say things like that? Always listening to orders - have you ever done something on your own before?"

Kanade had started off quiet, but the more she spoke the more she felt a stirring anger within her rise up, and her voice grew louder and louder.

"What if you know an order is wrong? The higher-ups are humans too and they make mistakes!"

Kanade was almost shouting now. She pushed herself forward in her seat, causing Tsubasa to flinch shrink back.

"Sometimes it's better to disobey orders! Sometimes it's the right thing to do!"

"Kanade-san… what–"

"You have your Symphogear!" she yelled. "Why didn't you save my family?!"

The room seemed unnaturally quiet after her shout. Tsubasa saw confusion flash across Kanade's face, as if she didn't know herself why she had said those words.

Kanade leaned back in her seat, and stared dejectedly at the floor. The feelings that she had been keeping in have burst out, and now she could only wonder at how their relationship would develop from now on.

Tsubasa looked down at her hands. What Kanade said had the ring of truth. Where was she when they had first taken hold of Kanade? She remembered the screeching alarms in the headquarters and the all the staff on the bridge running to-and-fro, shouting orders.

" _Stay put, Tsubasa!"_

" _Don't worry about it, Tsubasa, we'll take care of this!"_

Tsubasa swallowed. "I... wanted to fight..."

She did. Even though she was scared, even though she doubted that all her training was be enough, she wanted to go.

Kanade snapped her head up. "You did?"

Tsubasa nodded in response.

"Then… why didn't…?"

"Like I said before, I don't have permission to use my Symphogear yet."

It was the role she had been training for since childhood, but in every instance she was denied.

"I am only a tool of the Kazanari family, made to do their bidding," Tsubasa said. "Whatever they say goes, and I have no say in it."

"A tool?"

"My family is traditional and holds a long lineage dating back generations. My father told me himself - I am merely a insignificant member born to carry on the lineage. And ever since the Noise appeared years, I've been trained to fight them."

"Everything has always been decided for me, and I have no choice in the matter." Tsubasa dipped her head, bowing apologetically. "I'm sorry."

Kanade rested her head on her hand. "That's… that's messed up - how your family is."

"It's... just the way things are."

"Well I don't like it."

 _And here I thought you were only a sheltered, rich girl._ Kanade thought, rubbing her forehead. _How can you live with it like it doesn't even matter?_

"Kanade-san… I know apologies cannot undo what has occurred."

Kanade raised an eyebrow in question. Tsubasa's breath was shaky, and her head was still bowed forward.

"But if you would, I will support you on the battlefield and help you avenge your parents."

"What… are you saying?" Kanade asked, her voice low.

"We're supposed to be working together. In doing so, I hope I can make up for my mistake - for not saving your parents - and I hope I can receive your forgiveness."

Kanade stiffened.

 _So… is this her apology?_

She could see now. It wasn't just her that was suffering. Here was someone who knew that she possessed the power to save those around her, but simply wasn't permitted to wield it. Hearing Tsubasa's apology, Kanade knew at least that she understood her pain.

Kanade took a deep breath and let out a long sigh before answering.

"I don't think anything can make up for my parent's death."

Tsubasa's head snapped up. "Then I-"

"But here I'm trying anyway, aren't I? And if you're here too... I'm glad I don't have to do it alone."

Tsubasa stared in confusion. "What…?"

"I forgive you," Kanade said.

 _At least, I want to now._

Tsubasa was speechless in shock. She stared wide-eyed at the girl before her, who only looked back with her own soft eyes as the seconds ticked by.

"I'm... sorry for my outburst." Kanade said eventually, her voice low.

Tsubasa shook her head. "But you have nothing to apologize for."

"No, I've already told myself before. I'm not going to blame you. If there's anyone I hate right now it's the administration. I apologize too."

Tsubasa couldn't help but give a small smile. "It's alright. Think nothing of it."

"Why don't we start over?" Kanade said, returning the smile.

Tsubasa nodded. "I would be glad to."

"Great! Well then… I'm Amou Kanade. It's nice to meet you."

"Kazanari Tsubasa. It's nice to meet you too."

Tsubasa felt a tiny, genuine cheer at those words. It was nothing like their first meeting. This time, it was truly a pleasure to meet each other.

She inwardly heaved a sigh of relief. Somehow this conversation that could have ended disastrously had allowed them to speak honestly. Could she say that they have reconciled? At the very least, one more wall has been broken down, and she was satisfied with that.

Tsubasa's gaze drifted towards the wall, and then she noticed the clock hanging on display.

"Oh, it's about time for me to leave," Tsubasa stood. "Shall I call in the nurse on my way out?"

"It's up to you," Kanade said, waving her hand.

Tsubasa headed towards the door. The metal fixture slid open for her. She turned at the threshold and bowed once more.

"Until next time."

"Yup. See ya," Kanade said. "Again, sorry about the things I said. I guess I needed to let off some steam. Who knows, maybe I can start moving on from it now."

Then she looked at Tsubasa and gave a small grin. "Let's go beat those bastard Noise up."

At Kanade's unashamed explicative she felt a small grin pull at the corners of her lips as well. "Yes… let's do it."

* * *

Her sword whipped out in a wide arc. Its glint traced a silver line in the air, cleaving the bamboo rod in front of her in two.

The upper half of the bamboo fell to the straw mats on the floor with a thud. Tsubasa sheathed her sword and released breath. She returned to a kneeling position and observed her cut.

It was uneven - dipping downwards and then angling away.

"Remember to breath while you cut, Tsubasa.," Kazanari Yatsuhiro said from the sides.

"Yes, Father."

"You're cuts are bad today. Is something wrong?"

"I…" Tsubasa hesitated. "It's nothing."

Her father stood up. "Practice thirty more cuts, standing."

"Yes, Father," Tsubasa bowed as he left the room.

Tsubasa then rose, and went to replace the bamboo on the pole.

She knew what was wrong. What had been distracting her was a particular orange-haired girl. She was all Tsubasa could think about these days.

Tsubasa took another hollowed bamboo stalk from a pile next to the pole. She slid the stalk down the pole, and stepped back. At an appropriate distance from her target, Tsubasa drew her sword and assumed her stance.

 _Thirty more cuts._ Tsubasa thought. _At least fifteen more stalks - about ten more minutes._

 _SWISH_

Her cut came down swift and true, severing the upper stalk from its source with barely a sound. The severed pieced thudded to the floor. Tsubasa took a moment to observe the quality of her cut before continuing.

 _SWISH_

Another cut, refined as the last. She set into a rhythm - cut, cut, replace.

 _SWISH_

After her training, it was to her afternoon lessons, which would take up the rest of the day before dinner. This day she was free, but she was also required at the headquarters twice a week and the weekends.

 _SWISH_

Train, lessons, work, repeat. It was the same rigid schedule day after day. There were no breaks. Like the continuous swing of her blade it has become so routine to her that she had grown numb to it.

But recently, something had managed to slip past the numbness, like drops of water through a crack, and she knew that something was the girl in the hospital ward that had been consuming so much of her thoughts. It was strange - she felt a disorienting mixture of contentment and unrest.

Kanade's words rang in her head.

" _It's that kind of thinking that I don't like about you."_

" _Try to get out more, okay?"_

" _What do you fight for?"_

It had been ages since Tsubasa had thought about it. She told herself that it was her duty to her family. But somehow, that no longer seemed to be enough.

Tsubasa became aware of her training room, dimly lit and alone save for herself. She thought of her house - being surrounded by servants and attendants who knew her only by name. She grimaced, and her grip clenched hard on the sword handle.

Since when did she forget how empty everything was?

The more time she spent around Kanade, the more her thoughts unsettled her. She could sense that there was something missing from her.

But still, she couldn't bring herself to hate Kanade. She could feel something being born within that room, within those hours together, especially after one of her most recent visits in which they reconciled to each other. There was something about Kanade that kept pulling her back to that hospital room.

Tsubasa remembered the harsh glare of determination on Kanade's face as she willed her legs to move. She remembered the burning passion she saw behind those amber eyes. Yes, she would go back, and find that same will that Kanade had.

Tsubasa shook her head. She had been standing still for too long, lost in her thoughts. She picked up another stalk and resumed cutting.

* * *

"Tell me more about your family," Kanade said.

They were back in the hospital room, and Tsubasa had barely just arrived. Kanade sat in her bed with her legs dangling off the edge. Tsubasa pulled a stool towards the bed and sat down.

"My family?"

"Yeah, those ones that call you a tool."

Tsubasa gaze dropped to the ground.

"It's a big family with a long history. I have have many distant relatives, but I don't know any of them very well - only by name. They live elsewhere in the country. At home though, besides the servants it's just Father and I. I am an only child."

Tsubasa paused and briefly looked up at Kanade, but her face gave no indication of making a comment. Tsubasa cleared her throat.

"My father has been training me in swordsmanship since I was a child, and other disciplines too. He works in the government, although I'm not exactly sure what he does. He is closely involved with the Division though, so I imagine it's something related to relics.

"Then there is the commander, my uncle. He doesn't live with us, but he visits every so often, even though I see him plenty here. He used to take care of me a lot though when I was younger. I really appreciate it."

Again, Tsubasa paused and allowed Kanade to reply, but she received none. Kanade was looking back passively, prodding her to continue, but she wasn't sure what else to talk about.

"What... about Kanade-san's family?" she asked.

The corner of Kanade's eye twitched, and Tsubasa immediately regretted asking.

"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have-"

"It's fine." Kanade closed her eyes, and swung her legs back on the bed. "I don't want pity."

Several minutes passed as Kanade sat in her bed - eyes closed, legs crossed, and arms folded over her chest - before she finally opened her eyes and answered.

"My family's just me, my sister, and my parents. My sister was in elementary school. She always got good grades. She'd always share something she got - candy, a toy, whatever - without a second thought. My mom and dad were also researchers in relic technology. They were busy, and we traveled a lot because of their job, but they always had time for me and my sister.

"They… they decided to bring us to their work for the day. We were down in the mines, and then..."

Tsubasa gulped. Her throat felt dry. "And then…"

"Yeah… they came out of nowhere. One moment everything was calm. Then I heard a scream somewhere… and then everything went to hell."

Kanade felt her hands clench into fists.

"Sometimes I wonder why I'm still alive, when they aren't."

Tsubasa was speechless once again. What could she say? What had happened the Kanade's family was terrible. Nothing could make up for it, much less any apologies she could offer.

"I'm… I'm sure there are others in your family that are glad you're alive."

Kanade scoffed. "Nah, our family isn't big. It was just us as far as I know."

"W-well, I am glad you're alive." At her own words Tsubasa felt a large blush rise.

Kanade leaned back in surprise. "Seriously? You always seem like it's painful just stepping through the door."

"No," Tsubasa said quickly, shaking her head. "I mean… I know Kanade-san now and..."

Tsubasa saw a confused expression on Kanade's face, and her voice died lower with every word.

"Well… I just thought I wouldn't want you to die. I wouldn't want anyone to die, so..." Tsubasa's voice died mid-sentence.

"You're speaking as if we're great friends all of a sudden."

They fell into a long silence. Tsubasa stared at the ground, reeling in her own embarrassment. She didn't even know what she meant herself in those words, except that she knew that it would not be better if Kanade were dead.

"But you know," Kanade said after a while. "I think we might be able to be friends… eventually."

Tsubasa's raised her head in surprise. "Really?"

"Well, it's a long shot."

The saddened look on Tsubasa's face almost made Kanade laugh a little. On a whim, she reached over flicked Tsubasa's forehead.

"W-what was that?" Tsubasa said, covering her forehead with her hands.

"It might be a long shot," Kanade said. "But I definitely wouldn't mind trying."

Tsubasa gasped, and her eyes widened in surprise. "Do you mean…?"

"When I first saw you I didn't like you at all. I focused all my anger on you almost blamed you for everything that's happened."

Kanade sat up again and swung her legs over the edge of her bed.

"That was pretty mean of me. But even still, you stuck around, and sat with me in this room. Even when I let out all my anger on you, you still came. I don't know how you still found it in yourself to keep coming, but I guess you broke past this hard-headed me."

Kanade grinned, and held out a hand. "What do you say, want to give it a try?"

Words couldn't describe how happy Tsubasa felt. She leaned forward in her seat, and gingerly took Kanade's hand. "Yes, please!"

 _I think I did it!_ Tsubasa thought. _I've made a..._

An alarm blared through the room. A harsh, pulsing red light filled the room.

"The heck is that?!" Kanade shouted, covering her ears.

Tsubasa sprung to her feet, nearly knocking over her stool. "It's the Noise!"

"The Noise?"

"That's the emergency alarm. They've appeared."

Kanade's eyes widened as realization dawned on her. She leapt from the bed and ran out the door. She sprinted down the corridors, pushing through a rush of staff also heading toward their respective positions. The corridors were bathed in red light as well, and the alarm only echoed louder off the sleek walls around her.

"Kanade-san!" she heard Tsubasa call out behind her faintly, along with the quick patter of her footsteps. "You shouldn't be running around like that!"

Kanade ignored her.

The crowd in hallways thinned out quickly as the people reached positions. But Kanade had still yet to reach hers. Her breath was becoming more labored. Her legs were on fire, and they felt like they were about to give out at any moment. But the blare of the alarm and the fire in her own heart spurred her on.

Finally, she saw her destination ahead of her - a wide, automatic door that marked the bridge of the headquarters.

Kanade gritted her teeth, and with a final push of strength, she flew across the few meters distance and short through the door right as it slid open.

"Commander!" Kanade yelled as she skid to a stop, drawing the heads of the entire bridge staff. "Send me out there, please!"

"Kanade!" Genjuro said. "You shouldn't be here."

"Let me fight!" Kanade burst into a coughing fit, as her lungs struggled to catch up with her.

"But in your condition…"

"No! With my power I-"

Tsubasa then burst into the room behind her.

"Kanade-san, you can't," she said between pants. "You haven't been officially released from the ward yet."

"I don't care!" she yelled, whipping around. "I've been waiting for this chance for months! Where are they?"

She spun around again to look at the large display projected in front of them. A grid of the city spread out before her, peppered by swaths of red dots.

"I'm sorry," Genjuro said. "But without proper authorization, we just can't allow you to fight yet."

"Are rules all you care about?" Kanade yelled, watching the red dots on the screen multiply and spread out. There were so many of them - so many just waiting to be crushed by her hands. Yet they wouldn't even let her thrust out her arm.

The officers on the bridge fell silent at the tense confrontation before them. They stared expectantly at Genjuro, waiting for his decision, and the continuous drone of the alarm only reminded them of how dire the situation is.

"Kanade… " Genjuro replied quietly, his hands gripping tightly into fists. "The evacuation and rescue teams are doing the best they can."

"But that's not the best _we_ can do." Kanade said under her breath. She headed towards the door. "I'm going - whether you try to stop me or not!"

"Kanade!" Tsubasa called out after her, and Kanade whipped around to face her.

"You said you'd help me, remember? If you plan on keeping your word…"

And with that in the air, Kanade turned back around and stormed out of the room.

Genjuro let out a loud sigh. "Tomosato! Prepare her transport."

A dark haired woman sitting at a control desk, the only one still concentrating on the monitors, spun around in her seat. "You're letting her go?"

"I'm placing my faith in her. She needs her chance."

"Armored transport is ready and awaiting orders!" said Fujitaka, a male staff the immediate left of Tomosato.

"Move out as soon as Kanade is aboard!" Genjuro then turned to Tsubasa. "Tsubasa, what are you going to do?"

"I…" Tsubasa's eyes darted to the large screen, which displayed a footage of Kanade jumping onto the loading bay of a large Division vehicle.

"If we're doing this, we might as well go all out," Genjuro said.

Tsubasa continued to stare at the screen. Kanade's vehicle had left the headquarters, and on the city grid the blinking blue dot that signaled their location edge ever closer to the sea of red. In the live footage, Kanade was seated, criss-crossing safety belts strapped across her upper body, and she clutched at the pendant hanging from her neck.

 _That look again…_ Tsubasa thought. _Determined… without fear…_

She looked down at her feet, seemingly glued to the floor of the bridge and unwilling to move.

 _How...?_

Tsubasa shook her head. Clenching her fists she yelled, "Commander, send me out too!"

Genjuro nodded. "Prepare another transport!"

* * *

The vehicle rushed through the streets of the city, swinging wildly with every turn. Inside the vehicle, Kanade gritted her teeth and and clenched tightly to the armrests, thankful for the many straps keeping her down as the force of each turn threw her side to side.

A voice spoke through an intercom speaker. "Amou-san, we're approaching the site."

"Roger!" she yelled back.

"Alright, the final checks are done," a doctor next to her said. "I'm going to administer the LiNKER now."

He was had with even more straps around him, along with several others that passed down a filled syringe mounted on a silver, gun-shaped device.

"LiNKER?" Kanade said. "Is that what you're calling it now?"

"Remember, you only have a limited amount of time," he said, ignoring her comment, and pressed the tip to Kanade's arm

Kanade closed her eyes, recalling the burning sensation that coursed through her body the many times the drug was tested on her. She sucked in a breath, and braced herself for the pain.

"Okay, done."

Kanade opened her eyes. "That's it?"

"It's still not perfect, be we've at least removed the pain factor. Can't say anything about the after-effects though."

"Well, I don't feel any diff-"

Suddenly her body throbbed, and her words caught in her throat. Her vision rapidly blurred and refocused again and again, and the rumble of vehicle and the voices of the staff distorted and warbled, as if she were submerged underwater. She could barely make out the voices of the doctors calling her name.

Then, beyond the muted clamor around her, she faintly heard - or more accurately felt - the rolling tones of an indiscernible sound. It was just in the distance, barely audible, calling out to her.

"Hey, come on! What's wrong? Tell me!" the doctor shouted, shaking her by the shoulders.

The intercom announced again. "We have visual! It's the Noise!"

A panel opened in the wall, and a displayed flashed a video of the exterior. Noise covered the streets as far as they could see, their colors muting and flickering as they phased through the different dimensions.

The doctor shook her again. "Amou-san, we need you now!"

Then, everything became clear. Kanade's vision came back in sharp detail, the commotion around her grew sharp and distinct, and that mysterious noise - she could hear it now. It was the bright, thrumming toll of her pendant responding to her.

"Approaching the drop site!"

Her straps automatically released. Kanade could feel her spirits lifting, along with an uncontrollable desire to shout rising from deep within her.

"Bay doors opening..."

Kanade sprung up from her seat and flew towards the exit.

"Now!"

The doors burst open, and Kanade leaped out into the air.

" _Croitzall ronzell Gungnir zizzl!"_

The words burst out of her. Her voice was vibrant and powerful. She had never felt lighter. High in the air, the wind blowing in her face, she looked down and saw the multitudes of the bulbous monsters spread out below her.

 _There they are..._

Then her pendant flashed. Within its brilliant light her armor materialized around her. A wave of energy burst outwards from her, and the Noise in her vicinity brightened to their full colors.

She landed on her feet. The pavement cracked beneath her. She held up a fist and looked at her gauntlets.

"This is what I'm talking about!"

"Kanade!" Genjuro's voice spoke from headphones mounted on her head. The speaker's quality was better than she had ever heard, almost as if he were standing right by her. "Do you read me, Kanade?"

"Loud and clear, commander!"

 _It even comes with a com system,_ she thought. _How convenient._

"Your backup is on the way. Don't push yourself."

She scoffed. "I'll do my best."

The Noise had already taken notice of her, and had begun to advanced. The mass in front of her moved forward in a surge. But Kanade was hardly afraid. In fact, her blood was boiling. A rhythmic melody began playing from her headphones. Once again she felt an urge rising from within her.

Kanade dashed straight towards them.

" _Were they an illusion? A dream? The gentle days..."_

One of the Noise leaped at her. She threw a fist forward, and it burst apart upon contact.

" _In which I was wrapped up by gentle hands and fell asleep have now completely vanished..."_

It was like hitting pillows. Each Noise that leaped out at her she punched, kicked, elbowed, and pummeled into pieces, and with every syllable of her song she could feel her power increasing, and she herself grew fiercer. This was what she had been waiting for all this time.

"Fall back, Kanade! You're pushing too deep!" Genjuro warned. "If you're overwhelmed we won't be able to reach you!"

"I won't be!" Kanade said, kicking another out of her way.

"Don't be reckless!"

But Kanade no longer heard him. She was too busy exacting out her revenge. She continued to kick, hit, knee, punch. She threw everything into each blow. She was letting out all her anger.

"Come at me, you bastards!"

They were barely even a challenge. They all broke apart against her fists.

But there were just too many. They just kept on coming - wave after wave, faster and faster. Her breathing grew labored her punches more and more erratic.

 _Dammit! I have to do more!_

The Noise were overpowering her by sheer numbers. Kanade's hits became desperate as she tried to fend off every one that leaped at her. Then she felt a huge force slam into her from the side, sending her flying. She slammed into the stone wall of a building and collapsed in a heap.

"Kanade! Are you alright?" Genjuro said.

"Fine," Kanade grunted, pushed herself up.

"You have to fall back!"

"Never!" Kanade broke into a cough at the strain of yelling. "I don't care if I die here."

"Kanade-san, it's Tsubasa! I'm on my way!"

" _Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri tron!"_

In the distance she heard a voice ring out, loud and clear, accompanied by another melody. Kanade looked up from her crouched position at the crowd of Noise in front of her.

A flash of blue burst out from the crowd. It sped towards her, flinging dismembered pieces of the monsters in its wake. When it reached her it spun around a wide arc, cutting apart the Noise around her and clearing the room.

Tsubasa skidded to a stop in front of her and quickly assumed a stance, shielding her from the Noise. She was clad in a blue, black, and white armor and wielded a thin sword.

"I'm sorry I took so long," Tsubasa said.

"Glad you could make it," Kanade said, breathing heavily. "Do I get a weapon like that?"

"It's your Armed Gear. You have to summon it."

"How?"

But before Tsubasa could answer, the Noise began to advance once again. Three leaped out at her. Tsubasa rushed forward and cut them in half with a slash.

Tsubasa flipped onto her hands, two blades released from the armor over her legs, and she spun in a deadly whirlwind, tearing across the mass of Noise.

A building exploded nearby, and another Noise burst out of the rubble. It was almost as large as the building it destroyed, and its roar shook the earth.

Before she could land back on her feet, the Noise swung out its arm, hitting Tsubasa and sending her flying. She slammed into another building, and the walls caved in upon impact in a cloud of smoke and rubble.

"TSUBASA!"

She was flung completely to the other side, where the Division couldn't reach her, and the smaller Noise were already advancing towards her while she was still down.

 _I have to do something!_

Kanade screamed in rage. She put her arms together, and the gauntlets at her wrists attached to each other and released themselves. With a loud whirring, machinery shifted and morphed into a tall spear.

It was as if the knowledge had just implanted itself in her mind. Kanade grabbed its shaft and swung hard. The blade of the spear spun like a drill, and a tornado burst out. It tore through the smaller Noise in front of her and slammed into the giant beast. The tornado lifted it into the air before it erupted with a thundering clap.

The smoke eventually cleared. Kanade looked around at the carnage, and saw that there were no more Noise around her. She raised her spear to her eyes.

 _Is this… my Armed Gear?_

Then a Division vehicle rushed past her, blaring an alarm that sounded suspiciously like an ambulance. Then Kanade remembered.

"Tsubasa!" Kanade took off after the vehicle.

By the time she reached the building where Tsubasa had landed, the medics were already about to load her body in on a stretcher.

"Tsubasa! Tsubasa, are you alright?" Kanade said, rushing to her side.

"Ma'am, please step back," a doctor said, stepping in front of her. "We need to get her to the ICU immediately."

"But-"

"Don't worry, she's in good hands." The doctor was about to head back to the vehicle, when he turned again towards Kanade. "Actually, you should get checked too. You can hop in the back with your friend if you want."

Relieved, Kanade nodded and stepped in with the rest of them. Soon they were moving fast back to the Division's headquarters, and Kanade watched Tsubasa's beeping heart monitor the entire way.

* * *

As soon as the door opened, Kanade rushed into the hospital room. Tsubasa was sitting up in the bed, and Kanade ran and practically threw herself at her side.

"Oi! I came as soon as I heard you were fine!"

"Y-yes, I'm alright," Tsubasa said, leaning shyly away from the Kanade's face that had gotten far too close for comfort. "They said I just need some rest."

"Thank goodness," Kanade sighed, and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"The Symphogear system is a wonder, isn't it?" Sakurai Ryoko said, sauntering up to them. She was accompanied by Genjuro, holding a vase full of flowers. "Thanks to its defenses, all injuries aren't as bad as they first appear."

"Glad to hear you're alright, Tsubasa," Genjuro said.

"Thank you," Tsubasa said. "Sorry for troubling you all."

"Not at all." Genjuro placed the vase on the nightstand beside the bed.

Tsubasa looked curiously at the flowers. "Commander, what is this?"

"Wishing you well, of course," he said, placing a hand on her head, and another on Kanade's. "Also, a quick congratulations to both of you - for fighting off the Noise for the first time with your Symphogear."

"Commander..."

Kanade gave a confident grin. "No sweat."

"I have a lot of cleanup work to do, so we'll throw a proper party later. I'm proud of you kids."

He removed his hands, and turned towards the exit. Meanwhile, Ryoko leaned down face-to-face with Tsubasa.

"Heads up! I'll be giving you a thorough inspection tomorrow, okay?" and with a wink, she strolled out of the room.

Now left alone, they sat in silence. Tsubasa stared at Kanade, who was swishing her legs that were dangling off the bed. She had a pensive look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Tsubasa asked. "You don't have to stay to watch me."

Kanade took a short sidelong glance at Tsubasa before looking away.

"I was wondering" she said. "Why did you save me?"

Tsubasa was silent. She thought back to the battle, when she saw Kanade isolated, surrounded by a mass of Noise and her power failing. Thinking back, there was only one thought on her mind.

"That's because… we were just becoming friends."

"…I see." She remembered the conversation they had just moments before the Noise appeared.

Tsubasa fiddled with her fingers. "You know… I don't think I have ever had a real friend before."

"What? You serious?" Kanade looked at her incredulously.

"Yes. Maybe it's why I tried so hard to be with you. I wanted to see if I could do it - make a friend."

Kanade chuckled shook her head.

"Well, sorry your first friend has to be someone like me. You know, besides my sister, I didn't have much friends either with my parents moving around for their job and all."

"I see… I'm sorry."

"Stop saying that," Kanade lightly nudged her on the shoulder. "It's alright. I'm stuck with you now."

Another moment of silence.

"Why don't we start with names then?" Kanade said. "I did say just 'Kanade' is fine, didn't I?"

Tsubasa blinked in surprise. "Yes, but… I thought I have been doing that."

"Drop the '-san' is what I meant."

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry… Kanade."

Tsubasa imagined all the reprimands her etiquette instructor would give should he find out.

"So is 'Tsubasa' alright with you?"

Tsubasa nodded earnestly. "Please."

 _This is alright though, isn't it? We're becoming friends after all._

Another moment of silence passed.

Tsubasa looked around the spacious room, and thought about being stuck in this same space for more than month. There wasn't even a window to look out of, or for the sunlight to shine through in the mornings.

She looked back at Kanade, who was staring off into space again. Her legs swung lazily in the air.

"Really, it's late," Tsubasa said. "You don't have trouble yourself staying here."

"After all those hours you spent with me?" Kanade stretched widely. "I don't have anywhere to go anyway."

"Do you not have a home?"

"Well, I'm a minor - can't be living by myself. Right now they're keeping me here for their never-ending testing and experiments."

Kanade decided to change the subject. "So how was your first time fighting Noise? You looked good out there."

Terrifying - Tsubasa thought - more than anything she had ever experienced, with all those Noise surrounding them on all sides. But each time something leaped out at her, she was able to respond - a dodge, a block, a parry, slash and move - as if she had already fought the battle before - and she had, in her father's dojo. All her training really had been enough, and for that she was relieved.

"It was scary... but I think I can fight them."

"Yeah? That's good at least."

"What did you think?"

"I found out I'm a better singer than I thought I was," Kanade said with a small laugh.

"How are you so relaxed about it?"

"It's just how I deal with it."

Tsubasa shivered. She felt as if an invisible chill had come over her, and she crossed her arms together over body.

"Even though I know I can fight them now, I keep thinking - how could I keep on doing this? Back then, the Noise seemed never ending, and I thought, what if this duty of ours is never ending?"

"We'll do it," Kanade answered.

"You say that so easily…"

"It's because we have to. We'll do it together," Kanade grinned, and held out a fist. "If the two of us can become friends, just think about all that we can do."

Tsubasa stared at Kanade's hand, stretched out towards her in a fist.

 _Strange…_ Tsubasa thought. _This atmosphere… it isn't at all like when I first met her._

Tsubasa didn't know what it was about that moment, staring at Kanade's outstretched fist - perhaps they were both just exhausted after their battle and the fatigue was showing its toll on them both - but right then, she felt a wave of warmth sweep over her, thawing the chill of her worry.

Kanade's expression was growing more and more peeved as Tsubasa continued to leave her hanging.

"Ahem."

"S-sorry!" Tsubasa made a fist herself, and gingerly bumped Kanade's.

Kanade's expression breaking back into a grin. "Alright!"

 _This warmth…_

Those words. That smile. That steady fist. The hard look of determination on her face back in therapy room as she tried with all her strength to take a single step. Tsubasa could only think that if Kanade was capable of such a radiance, then she only wanted to see more of it.

"Whoa, are you crying?"

"Eh?!" Tsubasa wiped her eyes, and found droplets of tears pooling at the corners of her eyes.

Kanade burst out in laughter. "You little crybaby! Like me that much, huh?"

Tsubasa's cheeks flared up in a large blush. "That was…"

Kanade only laughed louder at Tsubasa's embarrassment. She threw her head back and her body shook with mirth. Her laughter rang out and filled the empty room.

Tsubasa steamed in her embarrassment. But still, Kanade looked so happy. Her smile had never looked bigger. Tsubasa felt the pull of a small smile on the corners of her lips as well.

 _Yes…_ Tsubasa thought. _This is it. I want to stay in this warmth._

Suddenly she felt a yawn pushing its way up from her chest, and she did her best to stifle it. She realized just how tired she was.

"Did you really mean it?" Tsubasa murmured, the lull of sleep pulling fast at her consciousness.

"Mean what?" Kanade said, her laughter dying down to small chuckles.

"The two of us… being friends... we could do anything?"

Her words were mere whispers as she fell steadily into slumber. She wondered how Kanade could even hear her. She could barely keep her eyes open now. Her bed suddenly leaned back by itself from her sitting position, but then she realized it was Kanade. She had also noticed how tired she was.

Before her fatigue fully overtook her, she saw Kanade lean forward and drape her blanket over her.

"Of course," Kanade whispered.

And that was all Tsubasa needed before she fell asleep.


	2. Shedding Tears

A loud, hacking cough roused Tsubasa from her sleep.

She screwed her eyes shut hard, trying to ignore the noise, but the coughing only continued. It even seemed to worsen. She also began to notice a heavy weight atop of her. Curious, Tsubasa finally cracked open an eye, and in the darkness of the room she saw a thick mane of red hair over her.

"Kanade?" she whispered. "What…?"

She then felt drops of liquid speckled her face. It was warm against her skin. Her mind was groggy from sleep, and she would have dismissed it merely for dribbles of spit were it not for the faintest vestige of a distinct, metallic smell. It jolted Tsubasa awake.

"Kanade, are you coughing up blood?" She sat up, pushing Kanade up with her. "Are you okay?"

It wasn't too much - only a few drops. But Kanade only kept on coughing and it was getting pretty violent. Tsubasa cradled Kanade's head on her shoulder and rubbed her back to try and sooth her. Under any other circumstance, she would be wondering what Kanade was doing sleeping in her hospital bed with her, but at the moment, Tsubasa could only hope that she was alright.

Tsubasa looked over to to the side wall for the mounted clock, which revealed just how late in the night it was.

Then, she felt something soaking her shoulder. Her nostrils filled with the strong metallic scent of blood, mixed with the acrid rancor of vomit. Tsubasa turned to look, and saw rivulets of blood running from Kanade's mouth.

"Oh my god... Kanade!"

Tsubasa fought down a gag forcing its way up her throat. She did the only thing she could think of and slammed her hand down a red button at the side of her bed.

More and more blood wetted her shoulder and the the sheets as Kanade continued to cough. Her gown felt sticky against her skin, and Tsubasa's panic grew worse and worse as she waited.

Finally, two attendants rushed into the room. The lights turned on, harsh against her eyes.

"Oh my god," one said, taking note of the situation. "Hurry, we need to get her to emergency!"

They pulled over a stretcher from across the room and wheeled it next to the bed.

"Thanks, we'll take it from here" one said. "Probably withdrawal from the compatibility drug. Never expected the backlash to be this bad..."

But Tsubasa could barely hear their voices, as they lifted Kanade off of her and placed her on the stretcher. She was only focused Kanade's coughing, and how it seemed to grow more and more strangled by the minute.

Before she knew it, they were out the door. Tsubasa was left, staring in shock at the blood-stained sheets around her.

Withdrawal? Backlash? She didn't understand any of that. All she wanted was to make sure Kanade was alright. With barely a moment of thought, she threw off her covers and ran out after them.

The hallway greeted her with dim lights again. Tsubasa looked side-to-side, trying to figure out which direction they had taken Kanade, but the attendants were already out of sight. The corridor was empty. Luckily, Tsubasa had been at the headquarters long enough to be able to work her way around. She took off to her left.

It wasn't long until she found more physicians and staff rushing through the halls. Tsubasa followed behind them at a distance, wary not to draw too much of their attention to her. Eventually she found herself at the entrance of emergency room - a set of glass-paned double doors. "Intensive Care Unit" was displayed above in large, red letters.

Tsubasa knew she wouldn't be allowed in the operating room, but there was always an observation area. Steeling herself with a breath, she pushed past the doors. She wove through the crowd of doctors hurrying to and fro and found the separate room.

A few others were already inside - none of whom she knew personally, but enough to receive a curt nod of acknowledgement as she stepped in. They were pressed against the wide glass windows that looked into the main operating room, and Tsubasa quickly made to join them.

"Kanade…" she whispered.

Kanade was laying down. A breathing tube covered her face and several IVs were attached to both arms. As if sensing her presence, Kanade's head tilted slightly towards her, and across the throng of doctors surrounding her, her eyes found Tsubasa's. Slowly, the corners of her lips lifted into a small, reassuring smile.

The scene reminded Tsubasa of the first time Kanade had summoned her Gear - the doctors performing on her, the great loss of blood, the glass window separating them - except before she had been terrified of even the thought of approaching her. Now, she wanted nothing but to get closer.

"Ah, is it Tsubasa? Come to watch, dear?"

Tsubasa turned towards the voice. Ryouko was standing behind her, hurriedly writing notes on a clipboard.

"Yes… please, could you tell me what's happening to Kanade?"

Ryouko stepped forward next to Tsubasa and peered through the glass. "The new drug we gave her to boost her compatability - LiNKER - is having some unexpected backlash."

"Backlash?"

"Yup. The drug has a time limit, and when that's reach it needs to be flushed from her system. It's rather... problematic."

And it was clear to her how. What if Kanade reached her time limit in the midst of a skirmish? The consequences would be fatal.

"Of course, we'll always be trying to improve the drug," Ryouko said, as if reading her thoughts. "There's lots more testing to be done."

"Will they... hurt her?"

"Ah…" Ryouko laughed nervously and scratched the back of her head. "None of our tests have been particularly painless, have they? Well now!"

Ryouko placed a hand on Tsubasa's shoulder.

"That's where we'll be counting on you. If the Noise appear right when the drug starts backfiring on her system, you'll have to step in and take the full front of it. Kanade still has a harsh life. If you want to do something for her, you can protect her. Meanwhile, let us do all we can to help her too."

Tsubasa thought of all Kanade had already endured just to reach this point. She wondered how many times had she been invited to observe another test, only for it to end with Kanade writhing in pain and coughing blood. Even now when she could equip her Gear, it still wasn't enough. How much more must she face?

"I understand," Tsubasa said. "I will do my best."

"Good. Don't you worry a thing, kiddo. Like I said, I'll be sure to do all I can for her." Ryouko gave a quick pat on her shoulder.

When Tsubasa turned her gaze back to Kanade, she was surprised to find that Kanade was still looking in her direction.

She then noticed a strange gesture that Kanade was making - a repeated jerk of her head back. Tsubasa frowned in confusion and tilted her own head, which Kanade returned with an exaggerated roll of her eyes.

Kanade lifted her arm - carefully as not to disturb the many IV tubes attached to it - and waved towards her.

Tsubasa understood. She turned to Ryouko again. "Do you think I could… go in there perhaps?"

"Hm? I suppose they seem about done. Oh look - they're removing the ventilator."

Indeed as she looked back, the mask was being lifted off Kanade's face.

"It should be okay then," she said, already making for a door at the end of the wall. "Come on, dear."

Tsubasa followed her to the door - a mere panel in the wall where the glass window ended. It slid aside with a hiss, and the two stepped through.

She was greeted with harsh, bright lights that glared off the septic walls, and the quiet cacophony from the doctors speaking hurried phrases to each other, the hum and beeping of the machines.

"Excuse us! Got a special friend coming through."

Tsubasa hardly noticed Ryouko's voice as she made her way to Kanade.

She tried to make slow, deliberate steps, wary of the glances from the others at the unconventional scene. She didn't want to draw too much attention to herself, but she must have been walking faster than she expected as she found herself almost immediately at Kanade's side.

"Heh, sorry about that," Kanade said. Her voice was coarse and airy. "I think I fell asleep on top of you."

"Kanade… are you alright?" Tsubasa answered, nothing but concern in her voice. She noted the unusual paleness of Kanade's skin.

Kanade's eyes shifted down to her arms, covered with patches where the IV drips dug below her skin. Tsubasa followed her gaze, and she noticed that Kanade's gown was still stained with red blotches.

"Well, they're replacing the blood I lost," Kanade slightly lifted her arm closest to Tsubasa, displaying the many tubes attached. "All synthetic stuff - pretty cool. They keep it on hand for emergencies."

Kanade lifted her other arm.

"And here they're giving me... something. They said it'll clean my insides from the bad stuff. I'll be all set by morning." She chuckled a bit. "I can't seem to leave this hospital bed, huh?"

"Please don't make light of this." Tsubasa shook her head. "Do you have to live through this every time you use your Gear?"

Kanade didn't reply. She stared at the tubes in her arm, and for a moment, instead of giving her the vital fluids she needed so desperately, they looked like leeches, slowly draining her life.

At her silence, Tsubasa relented. "I'm sorry. It's just… Please tell me, Kanade, will you be alright?"

 _Will I be?_ Kanade wondered. _Well, it's not like it really matters._

As far as she was concerned, her life may very well be over. She had nothing left to lose. As long as she could get revenge for her family, whether she makes it out in one piece - or at all - she couldn't care less.

And yet… here was someone in front of her who still cared. She didn't understand exactly why, but she supposed there was no use needlessly upsetting her good will.

Kanade let out a sigh, and offered a small smile. "Of course I'll be."

"Okay…" Tsubasa said, dipping her head in resignation. "I'll believe you."

There was no point in pushing any further. She could only trust that Kanade would be true to her word. It was the only thing she could do, yet she could tell it wasn't a likely chance.

A hand fell over shoulder. Ryouko whispered into her ear behind her. "Sorry dear, but I can't let you stay too much longer. We still have some final things to take care of."

Tsubasa turned and watched her walk away, carrying stacks of papers.

"You should get some rest now," Kanade said, echoing Ryouko's words. Her gaze then fell over Tsubasa's gown. "And maybe clean yourself up too."

Tsubasa looked down at herself, and gasped in surprise. Huge swaths of bloodstains covered her hospital gown, far more than on Kanade's clothing.

Kanade let out a small laugh. "Don't tell me you didn't notice?"

"I was worried about you..." Tsubasa said, a blush rising to her cheeks.

With Kanade's harrowing predicament she could hardly be expected to focus on her own petty discomforts.

"Heh, well you better get going now," Kanade said. "Clean up, and get some sleep, okay?"

"Okay. Goodnight, Kanade."

Tsubasa left quickly before the blush in her cheeks could grow as red as her gown. She was at least glad that at least some of the wary looks she received were not merely due to her unwelcome presence.

After more wandering the halls, a shower, and a new hospital gown, Tsubasa finally settled back in her bed. She looked again at the clock and saw that almost an hour had passed by. It was late in the night, but she could still get a full night's rest if she fell asleep right then…

If she could only fall asleep. She stared at the ceiling above her as the minutes ticked by. Her eyelids were simply unwilling to close. A myriad thoughts swam through her mind in the night.

Seeing Kanade on the operating table, surrounded down by the tubes and wires, was like watching a bird ensnared inside nets. It wasn't supposed to be. Every time Tsubasa was around Kanade she could feel bold life force and energy emanating from her, yet she was throwing it away.

 _Ryouko-san said I need to protect Kanade, but... it's not the Noise I need to protect her from._

* * *

Tsubasa stood in front of a practice dummy, a wooden practice sword in hand. She had been training hard since the early morning and was just about finished. Sweat gleamed from her body, sticking the cotton training clothes to her skin, and she fought to keep her breathing under control.

Days have passed since her first time using her Gear in combat. Returning home the following day, Tsubasa had expected severe punishments from her father for acting without authorization, but she received only a nod and a stricter training regimen.

Her required hours at headquarters have also been greatly reduced - temporarily suspended, in fact - though her father was insistent that it was completely unrelated. Overall, it wasn't nearly as bad as she expected. It puzzled her, but she accepted it and put her all into training.

"HUP!" she shouted, delivering another flurry of strikes to the dummy. Low thuds rang out as she struck and the dummy pitched back and forth.

As she was about to deliver her finishing strike to the head, she heard the doorbell chime - two, short chirps, right as she brought down her slash.

 _A visitor?_ Tsubasa thought, as she sheathed her weapon. _At this time?_

Normally she would let the servants or her father handle any visitors, but the unexpectedness of such an instance made her curious. She knew it would be a while for anyone to pass through the gates and reach the front door proper, so she took her time putting up her weapons and equipment before heading to the front door.

As she peeked around the corner of the room to the door, she saw Genjuro in discussion with her father and a servant. She had only planned to take a quick glance, but then she saw a shock of red-orange hair. Though most of her figure was blocked from her view she knew instantly who it was.

She stepped out in the open. "Kanade!"

They stopped in their conversation and turned to her, and then Tsubasa could see Kanade, staring back with curious eyes.

"Tsubasa," her father said. "Your training?"

"I… I have just finished. What is the matter?"

"Come here."

She walked to the door next to her father. Now directly facing her uncle and Kanade, she noticed a small luggage case at Kanade's feet.

"Long time no see," Kanade said with a big smile.

Her father cleared his throat. "Arrangements have been made for Amou Kanade to stay at our residence."

"H–here?"

"Yes. It's a close location to Division headquarters and she will receive combat training here. Since she's starting with basics, I'll leave them to you for now."

"Please," he said to the servant. "Show her to the guest room."

"This way, ma'am." The servant took the suitcase, and led Kanade inside.

Kanade gave her a small wave as she walked past her through the door. Tsubasa noticed a small rectangular canister in her hand with a loop of string string fixed to one corner.

"Yatsu," Genjuro said. "Mind if I talk with Tsubasa alone for a bit?"

"Go ahead," he said, and retreated back into the house.

When he finally turned the corner, out of sight, Genjuro let out a deep breath. "How are you doing, Tsubasa?"

"Fine, nothing unusual. What is it?"

"Nothing. Well actually… there's actually another reason we decided to have Kanade stay here."

"Another reason?"

Genjuro glanced around, as if expecting to catch someone eavesdropping.

"We tried to take her back to her old home a couple of days ago, but she completely refused. It's understandable of course. I wouldn't want to stay in a home where my loved ones used to live myself. It's only a constant reminder that they're gone."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I'm just… worried about her. She's not yet over her family. I guess… take care of her, Tsubasa. Please."

"That's what Ryouko-san said too." Tsubasa hugged her arms over herself. "But I don't know how."

He grunted in agreement. "And I wish I could tell you. We're all just doing what we can."

They stood for a moment in silence.

"What was Kanade holding?"

"Hm? Oh, that. We were able to make her LiNKER into capsules."

"That's… good."

"Yes. She'll be… combat ready at all times."

Genjuro turned around to leave. "Well, I've got to get going. Take care of yourself too, Tsubasa."

Tsubasa waited until she saw him pass through the front gates and then until his car drove away. She shut the door and headed back to the training room, wondering what it would be like with another person living in the house.

* * *

A useful feature of traditional Japanese homes was that one room could be easily expanded or broken into smaller rooms by rearranging the partitions and floor mats. As such Tsubasa's room was split into two for Kanade.

It was late into the night. Tsubasa found it unnerving at first to think that Kanade was sleeping by her across only a thin paper wall. Still, thanks to habit she managed to fall asleep - until a series of loud cries jolted her awake.

Tsubasa sat up and rubbed her blurry eyes. The noise was from Kanade's room, and Tsubasa only hoped she wasn't going to start coughing up more blood.

Getting on her hands and knees, she crawled towards the partition and slid it aside.

"Kanade?" she whispered.

What she saw wasn't pretty. Kanade wasn't awake, but she thrashed about and cried out in her sleep. Her blankets and futon were a mess. Her clothes were drenched with sweat.

"Are… are you okay?" Tsubasa said, crawling hesitantly to her side.

At her voice, Kanade twisted in her direction. "Mom… dad…"

Tsubasa understood what was happening. "It's... just a dream, Kanade. It'll be oka-"

Tsubasa gasped as Kanade lashed out and seized her by the wrist. She winced in pain. Kanade's grip was as tight as vice.

"Kanade, let go!"

Kanade only held on harder. She pulled Tsubasa's arm even closer to herself, almost bringing Tsubasa down until she steadied herself with her other hand. She was practically over the futon, and Kanade now had a grip on her entire arm and a portion of her nightclothes.

"Kanade, please, you have to… let..."

Tsubasa stopped when she noticed the silvery tracks running down Kanade's face. It wasn't blood this time, and it wasn't even sweat, but perhaps it was worse. With moonlight streaming in through the high windows, there was no doubt those were tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Don't go," Kanade said, almost whimpering.

"But I-"

"Please… don't…"

Tsubasa didn't know what to do. She couldn't very well stay with her the entire night, could she? But at least like this, Kanade wasn't thrashing around anymore.

"I'm not your parents, Kanade."

"Don't… leave me…"

"But-"

"Don't…"

Tsubasa sighed and relented. "O-okay, I won't."

Kanade's grip relaxed ever so slightly.

"Stay… promise..."

"I… promise."

A long sigh escape Kanade's lips. She was silent after that.

She still clung closely to Tsubasa's arm. Tsubasa's stopped position was uncomfortable, but she stayed still and waited. Slowly, Kanade's tears stopped and her breathing evened. As she fell deeper into sleep, her grip slackened.

At one point Tsubasa thought she could pull herself away, but at the first attempt Kanade clung fast to her once again. Kanade pulled even harder this time, and Tsubasa fell forward onto Kanade's futon next to her.

The sheets were still damp, her sweat gave off the faintest odor, and Kanade's body was terribly hot. It was no use. She had to stay, although Tsubasa supposed she did promise after all.

Drowsiness finally began to overtake her. It was all she could manage to pull the blankets over the two of them and cover them both as best she could. As she fell back to sleep, a single thought came to her.

 _That promise… was it for her parents… or for me?_

* * *

Bright sunlight gently nudged Kanade awake in the morning. Her eyes fluttered open, and she stared blankly at the ceiling.

Something was amiss. Actually, nothing was wrong, but that's exactly what was bothering her. It was the most peaceful awakening she'd had in ages.

Kanade made to stretch, and that was when she noticed the body next to her.

 _Ah… I knew something was weird._

She sat up quickly and looked at the person lying next to her. Somehow she wasn't surprised to see that it was Tsubasa. The girl looked endearing, curled up on her side and sleeping so peacefully.

"Hey, Tsubasa," Kanade whispered, nudging her. "Wake up."

"Hm?" Tsubasa's eyes blinked open. Her eyes were listless at first in her drowsy stupor, but the memories of the night soon returned to her and she bolted up with a gasp.

Kanade laughed. "Can't even stay away from me in your sleep, huh?"

"That's - that's not it!" Tsubasa said, blushing.

"Well what happened then?"

"You… you were crying out in your sleep last night. Don't you remember?"

Kanade's smile disappeared. "No…?"

"You were thrashing really hard. I came in and you, um, well… y-you grabbed me and then asked me to stay."

Kanade stared at her hard, trying to take in what Tsubasa had said. Finally, she let out a sigh.

"That's… weird. Sorry about that. I have really bad dreams about… what happened to my family." Kanade threw herself back down on the futon. "But y'know, all I remember of last night was sleeping really, really well. Honestly. I don't remember doing any of… what you said."

It was that they heard a quiet knock from the door of Tsubasa's room, making the girl jump.

"Tsubasa-sama?" a female voice called out.

"Uh, that's my servant. Just a moment," Tsubasa whispered, and crossed the partition back into her room, closing it behind her.

Kanade leaned in close to the partition to catch the conversation.

"Yes, come in." A door slid open.

"I brought fresh sheets for you."

Footsteps. Sheets ruffling. The opening and closing of closet doors.

"Breakfast will be ready for you shortly."

At that Kanade's stomach growled menacingly, and she realized how hungry she was.

"Thank you, I'll just be a minute."

"Also, your father wishes to speak to you in his study after breakfast, and Amou-san as well. Please let her know."

"I see. Thank you."

Not long after the servant left, Tsubasa entered back into Kanade's room.

"Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, your dad wants to talk to us," Kanade answered, standing up. "Come on, let's go get breakfast!"

* * *

In a section of the family _dojo_ lay a large array of swords, bows, and other weapons, neatly arranged and placed in their shelves, racks, and stands. Tsubasa stood before them, surveying the collection for a suitable weapon.

"What are you looking for?" Kanade asked, stepping up behind her.

"A weapon for you."

It was decided that she would lead Kanade through the basics. Although her main focus was the sword, she was advanced enough to know the rudimentaries of the other weapons as well.

"Here," Tsubasa said, pulling an item of its stand and handing it to the other girl. "I think this would match your Armed Gear."

"A _naginata_?"

"Yes. Your relic is a spear, so I think the principles should be the same."

"This is wood though," Kanade said, examining the instrument in her hands.

"Practitioners of any weapon start off with a wooden replica. Give it a try."

Kanade frowned, not knowing exactly what to do.

"Uh, just swing it around a few times."

Kanade stepped back. Gripping the shaft with both hands, she raised it high over her head and brought it down with a _SWISH._

She tried a few more side cuts, stepping with her swings. Her crisp new _gi_ and _hakama_ that she was given ruffled with her movements.

Tsubasa nodded. "Okay, that's fine."

She grabbed another spear from its rack and traded it with Kanade's.

"Here, the length of this one should be better for you."

"Argh, you should've told me that's what you were doing. I looked dumb."

"No, you looked fine," she said with a small smile. She replaced the other naginata and grabbed one of her own before rejoining Kanade.

"Okay, let's get started."

"Aye aye, Tsubasa-senpai."

"S-senpai?" Tsubasa stammered, dropping the stance she was in.

"Yeah, you're training me, aren't you?"

"But… but you're older than me."

"That doesn't matter. You're more advanced than me."

"I… suppose."

Tsubasa assumed her stance again, Kanade quickly mimicking. Tsubasa suddenly felt very self-conscious, and she fought a blush rising to her cheeks.

She took a deep breath. "We'll start with some basic forms. Just follow my lead."

* * *

Combat training wasn't the only activity of Tsubasa's that Kanade had to join. She also participated in Tsubasa's _koto_ practices, poetry and literature lessons, calligraphy, flower arrangement, tea ceremony, and a host of other disciplines.

It was hard being a novice at practically everything. Joining in on Tsubasa's academic studies was particularly hard. The material that Tsubasa and her tutors were covering were well ahead of any other student their age - including her.

But she settled quickly into the routine. It was mostly the same thing day after day - training, studies, more training, more studies. Eventually, she began to grow restless.

"Argh!" Kanade grunted as she messed up another note on the _koto_.

"Why don't you take a break for now, Amou-san?" Tsubasa's music instructor said to her.

"Fine." She pushed her instrument away from her in frustration.

The three of them sat in a tight circle in the dojo - or rather a long triangle, as Kanade needed to be slightly closer to the instructor for additional help. They had been practicing for about a half hour, and Kanade just couldn't seem to get a particular phrase in the song right.

"Tsubasa, how about we pick up where we left off last time?"

Tsubasa nodded, and began plucking at her instrument. Her fingers were graceful and her movements refined. The song was gentle and airy.

"Ah, beautiful," her instructor whispered to Kanade as Tsubasa continued to played. "She's a natural, you know. And for such a reserved person, her songs really sing out with emotion."

"Uh… yeah." Kanade watched and listened to the girl play.

Tsubasa wore a passive expression, but the song was anything but. The melody was unhurried, bouncing high and light, ambling along notes. It was a song of the countryside, of nature, of a free spirit. It called out with longing nostalgia to simple, peaceful days.

Kanade felt a ache in her chest. She thought of her family. They lay together in an open meadow, sleeping beneath a cloudless blue sky. She only wanted to return to those days, but they were gone from her now.

The music slowed further, now a melody that floating gently along. Her family was no longer beside her, but she still felt the warmth of the sun and the gentle caress of the wind on her skin.

Kanade's eyes fluttered open. She was laying on her side, her instrument inches from her face.

She pushed herself up quickly. "Wha-"

"You fell asleep."

Kanade turned to the voice and found the instructor, packing away his instrument. She must have been asleep for a while, practically the entire rest of the lesson. Tsubasa had already left.

"We felt it would be best to leave you be. You looked so… at peace. Tsubasa's music sure is something."

The instructor stared at her, a tense, unreadable expression on his face.

"Uh… what's up?" Kanade asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, looking away. "It's just… you're her friend, yes?"

She thought carefully before she answered.

They had known each other barely a month, and most of it was on antagonistic terms if not outright hostile. Still, as fresh as their relationship was, if it meant anything to Tsubasa then she would say the same.

Kanade nodded. "Yeah, we are. We started off shaky, but..."

"No, that's fine. I'm glad," he said with a small smile.

"I've served this household for years," he continued. "I've been tutoring Tsubasa since she was a toddler, and… well, not that I'm around the every moment, but it never seemed like she had any friends. You're the first one I've seen."

Kanade couldn't find a response. She could only nod back as the instructor bade his farewells and left. Alone in the bare room, she could only think of how lonely it was in the house.

The days passed by. Kanade excelled in her combat training. Every few days the two of them were called to Division headquarters to experiment on their Gear, and occasionally she would be needed for more testing.

As they grew accustomed to living together, they learned more about each other. Kanade learned that Tsubasa prefered colder weather, that she could never keep her room clean, that she prefered slightly plainer tastes for her food - little trivial things that were somehow meaningful too.

With all the activities they were to do together, there was hardly a moment when they were apart. Kanade's first few days, Tsubasa tended to tiptoe around her, but as time passed they grew more and more comfortable around each other. Tsubasa wouldn't shy away from her, and she would readily start conversations with her.

On top of everything, the riches of the Kazanari household should make sure that she would enjoy her experience.

Still, Kanade grew more and more restless with each passing day.

* * *

Tsubasa stood before the open bay doors of the helicopter. The late afternoon sun glared in the sky, wind whipped across her face, and the sound of the rotors above her filled the air. Far below, Noise swarmed through the streets of a hilly suburban neighborhood. Tsubasa could smell the smoke rising up from the wreckage.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

Kanade next to her grinned. "After training so much with you? 'Course I am. You?"

Tsubasa nodded.

"Then let's go," she said, and jumped out of the helicopter.

" _Croitzall ronzell Gungnir zizzl!"_

Her voice was clear like bells, tolling across the sky. In a burst of orange light, she donned her Gear.

Tsubasa quickly followed suit and leaped out into the open air.

" _Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri Tron."_

In a flash, Tsubasa was in her Gear. The words to her battle song welled up inside her, so strongly she wouldn't even be able to fight it back had she tried.

" _Autumn, I confess, your twilight wind  
Stabs deep into my heart…"_

The wind stung her eyes as she plummeted to the ground. Her song echoed through the sky. The Noise below threw their gaze up at her and screeched in defiance. Tsubasa sang louder.

" _The moon now crosses through the clouds  
The heaven-sent sun already set  
Though I thought myself brave  
The sleeves of my robe are drenched with…"_

 _Thousand Tears!_ Tsubasa called out in her mind, and spread her limbs.

She felt a tug at her core, a ringing in her ears. A multitude of swords materialized around her. They fell in a shower of blue sparks, decimating the Noise below.

Tsubasa landed soon after, cracking the concrete beneath her feet. Kanade haded landed far to her left and kicked off running, so Tsubasa turned to her right.

 _About two dozen on the roofs._ Tsubasa thought, analyzing the scene. _More approaching down the street._

Tsubasa headed for a house where the nearest cluster of Noise were. She leaped to the roof with the help of her Gear. The Noise pounced at her all at once.

 _Bakkouzan!_

In a flash, Tsubasa drew her blade from its sheath and tore them apart in a blue arc of light.

Her feet had barely touched the tiles of the roof before she jumped to the next one. Noise threw themselves at her in mid-flight. Tsubasa spun in the air, twisting her blade around her, and their severed bodies disintegrated before her.

She landed again and immediately took off again for the next. Tsubasa leaped from roof to roof, slicing through Noise and leaving their black dust in her wake. Her melody rang out through the air.

"Tsubasa, Kanade," Genjuro spoke from her headpiece. "You're spreading out too far. Regroup in the southwest of the sector."

Tsubasa cleaved through her last enemy and responded. "Yes, commander."

"Sure," Kanade replied.

From her vantage point, Tsubasa saw the Noise on the streets had just about reached her. But it was a narrow road, and she had an idea. She took a running start and jumped off the roof, high into the air.

Tsubasa sang louder. She delved deep within herself, drawing forth as much power as she could find, and her Gear hummed with the increased energy.

Her sword grew in her hands. Metal plates expanded and pieces reorganized themselves until her blade was several times larger than it was before. With a downward stroke, she propelled a bolt of energy towards the wave of Noise ahead.

 _Azure Flash!_

It cleaved clean through their center, destroying a good number of them. A conical wave of energy propagating behind it took care of the rest. Even Noise clinging to the sides of the buildings disintegrated to dust.

Tsubasa landed on the road, and her Gear hissed as it released built-up steam from its system.

"Nice one, Tsubasa!"

Tsubasa nodded. "I'm regrouping with Kanade now."

Following the sound of Kanade's song, Tsubasa headed for the girl's location. She ran through the streets and picked off straggling clumps of Noise along the way.

She rounded a corner and saw Kanade cutting her way through a large mob. She promptly joined her.

"Are you alright?" Tsubasa asked in between cuts.

"Just fine," Kanade answered quickly.

A little too quickly. They finished off the last of the Noise around them, and as they caught their breath, Tsubasa could see the many marks and abrasions on Kanade's armor.

"I'm sorry, I should have stayed and helped you in the be-"

"I said I'm fine!"

An explosion burst out in the distance. Two enormous Noise emerged from the smoke and let out a deafening roar.

"Again?!" Kanade said.

"We're seeing more of these large Noise everyday," Genjuro said. "You think you can pull of what you did last time, Kanade?"

"Maybe."

But she could tell her LiNKER was wearing off. Her armor seemed to grow heavier with each passing minute, and she could start to hear her Gear whine in protest.

"You should still have enough time," they heard Ryoko speak. "Back each other up."

"Gotcha," Kanade turned to Tsubasa. "You ready?"

Tsubasa swallowed and nodded. "Let's go."

They took off for the Noise.

As they drew closer and closer, they could feel the tremors of the two Noise's steps. They sang louder, charging up their Gear.

" _A heavy heart, my courage failing  
You slept beside me deep in my thoughts  
Yet few were the nights we slept together..."_

The first of the monsters were upon them. Kanade charged.

"HAAA!" she yelled as she took a large swing with her spear at the nearest limb.

It's screech was ear-shattering. It thrashed about in pain, forcing the two of them to duck out of the way its legs. The Noise collided with a building. Rubble and debris rained down on them. Tsubasa dove, ducked, and rolled to avoid being crushed.

A foot swung over. It was the second Noise. Tsubasa gasped, and only her years of built up reaction time allowed her to leap frantically away.

She landed with a roll and quickly sprang up. She looked around, and realized with despair that she was badly separated from Kanade. In fact, the two Noise were directly between them.

"Kanade!" she cried out.

She'd have to fight her way through. Tsubasa jumped and kicked off the side of the nearest building. She swung her blade.

 _Bakkouzan!_

An arc of energy slammed into the Noise. It screeched and swung its arm wildly at her, just barely missing the top of her head.

Tsubasa landed by its feet and sprinted underneath the Noise.

 _One more time..._ she thought, and swung her blade back for an uppercut. _Azure Flash!_

The cut severed the Noise clean in half. It exploded above her. Tsubasa ducked and covered her hands over herself, but it felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck right next to her.

She stood back up slowly. Her ears were ringing, and she blinked profusely as she looked around in the smoke.

"Kanade!" she called out again. She was answered by the screech of the remaining Noise.

Tsubasa leaped onto the roof of another building. She could see the Noise now, stomping around trying to find its target.

Just as she was about to make her way towards them, a spear, spinning like a drill, rocketed out and impaled itself into the Noise's abdomen. A burst of energy erupted out from its back, and the Noise blew apart in a blinding flash.

Tsubasa shielded her eyes until after the explosion dissipated, and she hurried over to the site. She jumped down from the building and landed next to Kanade.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm… fine," Kanade said between deep, labored breaths. Chunks of her armor had broken off, and there were cracks everywhere.

"Good work, girls," Genjuro said to them, his voice noticeably unsteady. "Stay right there, a medical team's on their way to pick you up."

Tsubasa gasped as Kanade fell against her. She carefully lowered herself and Kanade to the ground.

"Say," Kanade said, still breathing heavily. "What was your song about?"

"My song?"

"Yeah, I was listening to you, and I was wondering what your song meant."

Tsubasa thought back, but she could only remember focusing intently on her battle. Even still, her song came out so naturally, so subconsciously, that she could hardly remember the individual words.

"I… can't really remember it, sorry."

"No, it's okay. I can't really remember mine either. Weird."

"I'm glad you're okay."

"Yeah, me too."

"Look at that, Kanade, you won. You really beat them."

"I guess I did."

"Aren't you happy?"

Kanade didn't look at her. Instead, her eyes seemed to grow distant, as if she were scanning the distance for more Noise to fight.

"Sure, I guess…"

* * *

Weeks had passed. It was night. Kanade lay still in her futon. Her eyes were closed as she reviewed a recent battle in her mind.

Side cuts, stabs, spins - her combat prowess had really improved with her training. The Noise crumbled easily beneath her. It was still nothing compared to what Tsubasa could do though. It frustrated her, but she just reminded herself that in time, she'd be able to do the same.

She focused on her own kills. It was satisfying to watch the monsters perish to her spear. Sometimes she'd have some fun and just punch one with her fists. She should be content with knowing that her performance in battle only increased.

But then, why did she feel so… _wrong_?

Kanade opened her eyes, and turned her head to peer into Tsubasa's room.

The partition between them was always open now. Tsubasa had pressed for it ever since their first night. Though it was a strange request at first, Kanade didn't mind.

Tsubasa sat at a low table in the room. She was listening to some music with earbuds in, and she periodically wrote into a small notebook.

It was a nightly routine of hers, Kanade had soon learned. Exactly what it was that she was writing she didn't know, but she respected her privacy. It was the only thing secret to her, and in Kanade's stay at the household she had learned that this one of the only times Tsubasa has to herself.

Kanade could see how Tsubasa's entire life was dictated upon her. Her every day was a strict regimen. Kanade had experienced it personally now.

" _It never seemed like she had any friends,_ " the words of the music instructor rang in her ears.

She was already agitated, but then Kanade felt an anger rise up violently inside her. She sprang up from her bed and spoke across the room.

"Hey, Tsubasa."

Tsubasa looked up from her notebook, surprised at the sudden outburst. She pulled out her earbuds.

"What is it?"

"Do you…" Kanade paused, trying to cool down enough to put the right words together. "When do you ever… get to do things, like, on your own?"

Tsubasa's eyes searched around in confusion. "What… do you mean?"

"I mean, you hardly ever get some free time to yourself. When do you get to spend some time on your own? Have fun, fool around?"

"Um… now, I suppose?"

"No! I mean…"

Kanade stared hard at the floor, and she felt all the anger from before drain out. She wasn't mad anymore then, but she had a deep burden for her partner.

In a flash she sprang up, crossed to the other room, and grabbing Tsubasa by the wrist she led her to the door.

"K-Kanade! Where-"

"Shhh!" Kanade put a finger to her lips.

She pressed her ear to the door for just a moment, listening for any signs of activity outside. Satisfied, she slid the door open.

"Come on," Kanade said, putting on a smile. "Let's go out for a little bit."

* * *

Before long, the two were sitting on top of the tiled roof of the dojo, a thin blanket beneath them. The air was warm, but a continuous breeze relieved their skin. Below them was the estate gardens.

The estate plot was remote, and unhindered by the city lights, the stars of the Milky Way spread out in a brilliant band above them. The moon was almost at its zenith and casted its ivory light over them.

Kanade took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. "Wow, it's great out here."

"Yeah," Tsubasa said, gazing up at the sky. "I haven't had the chance to stargaze much."

"It looks so close, as if…" Kanade reached up with one arm, grasping at the large face of the moon.

Living her whole life in the city up until this moment, Kanade had never been able to experience such a stunning sight. She admired the ivory glow of the moon, the golden pinpoints of light, scattered across a canvas of blues and purples.

 _How come I've never seen something like this?_ Kanade thought to herself.

"Hey Kanade," Tsubasa said, pulling her from her thoughts. "Why did you bring me out here?"

Kanade glanced at Tsubasa. Her knees were drawn up to her chest, and her arms lay folded across them. The girl had her eyes lifted to the sky still, but Kanade saw little stars reflected in the deep purple of her irises.

"Do you have a dream, Tsubasa?"

She saw Tsubasa's eyebrows furrow in response.

"A dream?"

"Yeah, you know. Something you want for the future."

"Yes, actually, I kind of… always wanted to be a singer when I grow up."

"A singer?"

"Mhm. Maybe even an idol. That's… what I do every night, you know. I listen to some music, and if I get ideas for a song, I write them down. That's why I want to go to Lydian Academy. It's a really good music school. The Division only built their headquarters under it, but the academy was there before.

"It's… not like I want the attention of being famous or anything. Thinking about being on a stage surrounded by thousands of people… it kind of scares me. But still, I want my songs to reach people. I want my songs to move them."

Kanade beamed. "I think that's a wonderful dream."

"Thank you," Tsubasa said. She gave a small smile too, but only briefly. "Unfortunately, I don't think that's gonna happen."

Tsubasa finally looked back down, fixing her eyes on the garden.

"I have a duty here. To my family. I'm supposed to be the heir to carry on the Kazanari name. It's a lot of prestige to uphold. There's no time for… silly things like that."

"Prestige? For all they say they're bringing you up, they treat you like nothing. You said it yourself, they treat you like a tool!"

"I know."

Kanade grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing their eyes to meet. "Tsubasa, listen. You can't let your duty to your family hold you down like this. You have to have something for yourself. That's your dream - your reason for living! It's not something silly!"

Tsubasa flushed at how close their faces were. Her eyes darted away to the side.

"Then… what's your dream, Kanade? What's your reason for living?"

Kanade opened her mouth to speak, then closed them. She slowly released her grip and laid down on the blanket.

"There's nothing for me anymore," she said, her voice quiet. "All I want is to get back at those monsters for taking my family from me."

"That can't be it."

"Well it is! I don't have one anymore, okay? I don't have a dream."

"Then…" Tsubasa ventured carefully, unsure of how her question would be taken. "Why are you so interested in mine?"

Kanade sprang up again, searching Tsubasa for her intentions. This time, Tsubasa wasn't afraid to meet her eyes.

"I don't know."

"Please listen to me too, Kanade. I've noticed how upset you are after every battle. You're never satisfied despite your work. I don't think you ever will be."

Kanade bristled at her words. Tsubasa quickly placed a hand over Kanade's before the girl could react. She had more to say.

"And I think… it's because you're fighting for the wrong reason."

"The wrong reason…?"

"I understand your sentiment that you want to avenge your parents. I said I'll help you too. But as long as there are Noise… don't you think you'll never achieve that goal?"

"But that's what I'm trying to do! I'm trying to get rid of them-"

"But what if you can't? What if it'll never end? Then you'll never be happy, and I'm sure your family would only want you to be happy… _I_ want you to be happy."

Kanade felt tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. To be told that what she has been working so hard for, practically giving her life over for, she'll never be able to succeed? But deep down she knew Tsubasa was right. This was why she felt so wrong, why she was so restless. She had always known that she wasn't getting anywhere. She just never realized.

She fought down a hitch in her throat as she spoke. "Then what am I supposed to do?"

"I'm afraid… I don't know how to answer that."

A silence fell between them, and they could only bring themselves to look listlessly at the greenery below them.

"Those are some pretty harsh words," Kanade said eventually, wiping at her eyes with her arm. "But I guess you're right. I needed them."

"I know, I'm sorry." Tsubasa hesitated before asking. "A-are we… still friends?"

Kanade gave a short laugh. "Yeah, still friends."

"I guess when you look at it," Kanade continued. "We're both just living with no purpose, unable to fulfill any of our own dreams. Maybe that's why we became friends."

"Maybe… it's not really a good way to start though."

"Heh, the worst."

The two shared a laugh. They then laid down on the blanket, content to observe the sky again for the time being. A few comets just happened to streak across the sky. The moon had reached its zenith and shined in all its fullness. A large stone in the gardens seemed to glow under its light.

"The moon is beautiful tonight, huh?" Kanade said.

"Tsubasa?" Still not receiving a response, she turned to her side and found Tsubasa with her cheeks flaring bright red. "Whoa, what's up?"

"I-I was… I was just thinking that," Tsubasa stammered. "What you said, 'the moon is beautiful'. It's an old expression for… well, 'I love you'."

Kanade stared speechlessly at the girl, dumbfounded. She could also feel her own cheeks grow dangerously hot by the second.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up!" Tsubasa said, covering her face with her hands.

"Damn right! Why'd you have to tell me that?"

"You're the one who said it though…"

"I wouldn't have thought about that!"

Kanade turned away onto her side to hide her own blush, and an awkward silence fell between them.

"I-it is beautiful though, isn't it?" Tsubasa finally said. "The moon… the stars… everything. Thank you for bringing me out here, Kanade. I feel… just a little freer."

"Uh, yeah… you're welcome." Kanade rolled onto her back again. "Do you… want to go back inside now?"

"No." To her surprise, Tsubasa slided closer, to the point that their shoulders touched each other. "I'd like to stay out here just a bit longer."

Kanade couldn't help but smile a little. The night really was beautiful. She felt like she hadn't been able to enjoy herself in a long, long time.

 _Maybe it was always here._ Kanade thought. _These beautiful things - all around. Maybe I just forgot… just how…_

Suddenly she felt her eyelids droop heavily. The need for sleep was finally catching up to her.

Kanade hardly slept those days. She didn't want a repeat of her first night at the Kazanari household. She tried to take short naps as often as she could find the time, and she was good at waking herself up before the nightmares could start. If anyone noticed they said nothing, but she was always tired.

In that moment however, she wasn't worried. With Tsubasa next to her, she felt like she could stay out on that roof all night. Somehow, she knew no nightmares would come. She could allow just this moment's rest.

Kanade let out a deep, satisfied sigh, and closed her eyes.

* * *

"We've detected two more life signals!" Tomosato Aoi said. "At the very top of the control tower!"

Kanade spun around until she saw the structure in the distance. "That's in the center of the swarm!"

"You only have a few minutes before the Noise reaches them."

"And then what?" Tsubasa asked. "We can't possibly fight them out of that."

Kanade knew she was right. Even if they could escort them out of the tower, they had nowhere to go. They would only lead the Noise along with them. If they had to fight the Noise and protect those people at the same time, the most efficient way had to be...

"You have to make a stand right there and hold them off," Genjuro said, gritting his teeth. "You'll have the high ground, but you can't stop until all the Noise are eliminated."

Kanade clenched her spear. "Damn…"

"Can we do it?" Tsubasa asked. "Can we hold of so many?"

But to Kanade, it wasn't a matter of whether they could anymore. The more time they spent talking, the less time they had to reach the tower.

Kanade took off running. "Let's go!"

"K-Kanade! Wait!" Tsubasa quickly ran after her. "What if-"

"There's no time to think about it! Look, the Noise are already heading up that tower!"

It was true. Even from their distance, they could see that the lower portion of the tower was covered in a multicolored layer of monsters, steadily advancing upwards towards the top. At the top, behind a wall of plexiglass that circled around the building were several figures huddled together.

Kanade and Tsubasa were nearing the edge of the mass of Noise. Tsubasa felt the words to her song force its way up from her chest to her lips.

" _The voice that doesn't reach said, 'don't leave me alone'  
My heart cried out, but my words were torn up…"_

Beside her, Kanade also sang, channeling her power. She thrusted out her weapon.

 _Horizon Spear!_

The blades of her spear split open. A beam of energy shot out, clearing a narrow path through the Noise ahead of them.

"C'mon, hurry!" she shouted. Almost as quickly as it formed, the path was already starting to close.

They ran through the path side-by-side. Noise pressed in around them, surrounding them in a cacophony of screeches. They hacked and slashed their way through, inching toward the base of the tower.

But it was too slow. With all the Noise around them, they could only move a few steps at a time. The tower loomed in the distance, and the Noise had advanced almost half way up.

Kande was tiring too. Her breathing was ragged. Her arms grew heavier with each swing. No matter how much Noise she cut down, they just kept pressing in, one after another in never-ending waves. She couldn't hold out much longer like this.

"Tsubasa!" she called out between swings.

"Yes!"

Kanade spared a quick glance to her partner beside her. She didn't seem to be faring any better.

"We'll never make it like this!"

"What should we do?"

Kanade had an idea, but it was risky.

"I need you to cover me."

"What? In this-"

"Sorry, but just trust me!"

Tsubasa grimaced. "Then hurry please!"

Kanade stopped. The Noise formed a ring around them. To say it would be tough to defend someone while surrounded on all sides would be an understatement, but she needed it for her plan to work.

Tsubasa immediately swung into action. She circled tightly about Kanade in a deadly dance. Her blade was an arc of light that spun around her faster than the eye could see, cleaving through any Noise that dared to approach.

It was a sight to behold, but she hadn't the time. Kanade pointed her spear upwards, aiming for the top of the tower. She let her song pour out as she focused all her power into her weapon. Her spear glowed with energy. It began to emit a low hum as it charged, and radiated heat around her.

"I'm ready! Get close to me!"

"Okay!" Tsubasa paused her bladework and stepped next to her partner.

Kanade wrapped her free arm around Tsubasa's waist.

 _Horizon Spear!_

The metal plates of her spear expanded. The weapon grew in her hands. But this time, rather than a beam from its tip, a burst of energy shout out from its rear chambers. Thrusters at her hips that she only just noticed flared to life. Mechanical springs at her ankles punched off the ground, and the two rocketed upward.

Tsubasa gasped as the ground receded from view. She clung tightly to Kanade.

"Did you know you could do this?!" Tsubasa shouted above the wind roaring past their ears.

"No, I was just kinda hoping!" Kanade shouted back.

They soared higher and higher, racing past the Noise climbing the walls of the tower. A few threw themselves at the girls. Most missed and fell towards the ground, and Tsubasa sliced apart the others.

"Kanade, you need to slow down!"

"I don't know how!"

The top of the tower was approaching fast, and while she didn't doubt the ability of Kanade's spear to pierce through the plexiglass walls, it was going to be a jarring collision. Tsubasa closed her eyes.

Kanade was the one holding the spear, and the instant her weapon made contact she felt the shock travel up through her entire arm. Then she felt the shattered glass shower her body in cuts before she fell in a heap onto the floor.

Her ears rang, her head hurt, and she struggled to get up. A person came to her side, shouting something, but she could hardly hear.

"Tsubasa! Kanade!" Genjuro shouted in their headsets. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah…" Kanade forced herself onto her hands and knees. She shook her head and looked around. Tsubasa was just getting up as well.

"We saw you two on the ground…" the man next to her said. "You're here to save us, aren't you!"

Kanade looked at the two people around her. The other man was huddled behind a control panel. By their uniforms it was clear that they worked here.

"Yeah, we are," Kanade said. She grabbed her spear beside her and used it to haul herself up. She saw relief wash across their faces, and she knew then that they couldn't fail. There were people depending on her.

"What's your name?"

"I'm Takashi, and that's Andou."

"Nice to meet you."

Tsubasa was up too now. She walked to the hole they made in the glass and stepped out onto a platform that formed a ring around the top of the tower. She looked down. The hoard of Noise were almost upon them. Kanade came up beside her.

"You think I can just blast a Horizon Spear down?"

"That might damage the building's foundation."

Kanade sighed. "Looks like we have no choice."

The two stepped back from the edge. Kanade went to one side of the tower's platform, and Tsubasa the other. Kanade took a deep breath.

" _The voice that doesn't reach said, 'don't leave me alone'  
My heart cried out, but the words were torn up"_

The wind stilled as they sang, and the air seemed to shimmer. Their gears whined as they charged, resonating with their voices. Soon, they could hear a screeching beneath their song, like a thousand nails scratching across a blackboard, and growing louder and louder by the second.

"Here they come!"

The first wave of Noise poured over the edge of the platform, and Tsubasa swung her blade as wide as she could. It tore through the first line, but then the rest of the Noise slammed into her. The wall pushed her back before she was able to regain her footing. Tsubasa spun in place, her sword a whirlwind that cut apart the Noise around her.

 _Bakkouzan!_

An arc of energy burst out from the tower, clearing the platform space ahead of her. Tsubasa barely had time to move forward again before more Noise poured over the edge.

The two continued to fight back the advancing Noise, circling around the edge of the tower's platform as they hacked and slashed, occasionally sending out a blast of energy. It wasn't until her side brushed against the plexiglass wall that she knew they were being pushed back.

Tsubasa fought her way to the hole in the glass. Kanade was already there.

"We can bottleneck them through here!"

They retreated back into the room, and as each wave of Noise rushed through the gap in the wall the two cut them down.

Then they heard a scream behind them. Tsubasa whirled around and saw that several Noise were entering through the door. Some had made its way up the building from inside!

"HAAA!" Kanade shouted and threw her spear, impaling the line of Noise right before they could reach one of the men. She rushed to the entrance. "I'll cover this end!"

Tsubasa turned back, and fought with renewed vigor. But their fronts were split now, and the task ahead of her was already a hard effort for the two of them. She could only last so long.

"Tsubasa, Kanade!" It was Genjuro. "We're going to get you two out, there's too many of them!"

"How?!" Tsubasa barely managed to get out between swings. She was also running out of breath. "And what about… the Noise?!"

"We're letting this area go."

Tsubasa gritted her teeth. "Understood."

"What do you mean?" Kanade asked.

Tsubasa was still fighting back the Noise with all she had, but was able to notice the pressure cracks in the plexiglass. The Noise were about to break through the walls out of sheer volume.

"I sent a chopper. It's coming soon but you two need to somehow clear a way through first."

"What's going on?!" Kanade asked again.

"Kanade!" Tsubasa shouted behind her. "You need to… use your Horizon Spear!"

"What? Inside?"

"Takashi, Andou, be ready!"

"Wh-what?! What are we doing?"

It was hopeless. Nobody knew what they were supposed to do, except her. Tsubasa knew the chances they would pull this escape off was slim, but if they didn't…

"You're going to… jump!"

"Jump? Where?!"

A huge crack appeared on the wall to her right. Several more quickly followed.

"The chopper's here!"

"Now Kanade!"

"Are you sure?"

The wall burst open, throwing shattered glass everywhere. Takashi screamed. The deafening screech of the Noise swelled as they flooded in.

"NOW KANADE NOW!"

A wide beam of purple light shot out, incinerating a line of Noise and breaking down even more of the walls. A path was now clear before them, but only for a short time. The roof groaned ominously above.

Tsubasa threw herself at the two men and practically pushed them through the path.

"Kanade!"

Thankfully Kanade got the message and sprinted after them. They leaped off the platform right before their path closed and roof of the building came crashing down.

They tumbled through the air. Takashi and Andou screamed flailed about next her.

A helicopter flew by beneath them. It tilted almost entirely on its side. Its side door opened right as they fell in.

Tsubasa hit the door on the other side hard. The helicopter lurched with their momentum, and Tsubasa was thrown across the interior. She knocked her head on something and then everything went black.

When Tsubasa came to, she was lying on a stretcher. Black smoke filled the sky above.

She turned to her left and saw a medical tent set up. The two men were also lying on stretchers next to her, still unconscious. She looked to her right, and Kanade was sitting by her, staring off into the distance. It was then that Kanade noticed she had woken up.

"So that's what you guys meant," Kanade said with a sigh.

Tsubasa followed her gaze, and saw in the distance huge plumes of smoke.

Before the discovery of the Symphogear, there were only two things a government could do to fend off the Noise. The first was to sacrifice bodies. The second depended on the fact that, while ordinary weapons generally can't touch them, there's always a small chance that a bullet will hit at just the right moment when a Noise was phasing through this dimension. Thus if the attack was at a large enough scale…

"When we were flying away, I saw bomber planes fly by us, hundreds of them. That part of the city's nothing but ruins now."

"I've only seen this happen once before," Tsubasa said. Her voice was weak.

"I've heard about this kind of thing happening, but... I didn't know that's what you meant until then."

Just then, Andou stirred, and then sprung up with a shout. "AH! UH! I… huh? I'm... alive! Takashi...! Takashi! Hey, wake up!"

"It feels wrong…" Kanade said. "That we had to run away like that."

Tsubasa agreed. "It feels like… we lost, doesn't it?"

Takashi was awake now too, and the two of them shouted and laughed with joy.

"We're alive, haha!"

"We made it!"

"WOOO!"

It was hard to ignore the commotion they were making. Tsubasa's head pounded with their loud voices. But then she noticed Kanade staring at them, eyes curious, and eventually, a smile broke out on Kanade's face.

* * *

Tsubasa walked into the living room, carrying a tray of tea.

"Kanade, I brou-" she stopped in the middle of her sentence.

The girl was leaning against the door frame of the sliding doors at the far side of the room, her head rolled to the side in her sleep. Tsubasa tiptoed slowly to Kanade's side.

"Sorry, I'll just put these here," she whispered, and set the tray on the floor and sat down by Kanade.

The house was built slightly above the ground, and her legs dangled over the threshold. Before her was the vast gardens that surrounded the majority of the estate.

The weather was warm that day. The sun shined brightly in a clear sky. The air was fresh, and filled with the monotonous lull of chattering birds. The aroma of the tea gently wafted up to her. Tsubasa didn't blame Kanade for falling asleep in such a perfect atmosphere.

Tsubasa glanced at Kanade. A lock of hair had fallen over her eyes.

 _She looks so peaceful_. Tsubasa thought.

She couldn't help but think about when they had first met, when scowls were the only expressions Kanade could seem to give her. But the more time they spent together, the more Kanade seemed to laugh, crack jokes, tease her. Of course people change after traumatic experiences, but it seemed that was the true Kanade, and Tsubasa much preferred that smiling Kanade.

"Mm…" Kanade's fluttered open just then. She looked around, blinking profusely. "Tsubasa?"

"U-uh ah… tea?" Tsubasa stammered, embarrassed at nearly being caught staring the girl while she was asleep.

Kanade nodded in response. She looked outside at the sky, putting a hand over her eyes. "I've been out for a while."

"That's not a bad thing, is it?" Tsubasa said, passing over a cup.

"Well…"

Kanade realized something then - she had been having fewer and fewer nightmares. The significance wasn't lost on her. She was recovering. Not completely, but noticeably.

Her past self would have insisted that she never would, that she'd never want to either. She'd hold on to her grief and let it drive her. However, Kanade only felt as if a great weight had eased from her shoulders, and a relieving peace had settled over her in its place.

The only surprising thing was how gradual, how imperceptible it all was until she had reached this moment. It was the little things added up over time - the times spent training with Tsubasa, participating in lessons together, eating and sleeping and talking together.

It was true she would still get pangs of sadness when she thought about her family, but it was nothing compared to the warmth right then, of the afternoon sun, the cup in her hands, and most of all the person beside her.

"Tsubasa? Uh…" Kanade suddenly blurted out. A strange feeling had welled up inside her, and she felt its want of release though she had no idea what she wanted to say. "I'm… glad I met you. I'm glad we became friends."

"Eh? Wh-wha-"

"Promise me something, Tsubasa? I know... our dreams might be out of our own reach, but I just thought - if we stick together… maybe we can make something out of it. I mean, what I'm trying to say is… I hope you'd stay by my side. I hope you'll put up with me for a while."

Kanade chuckled. "Maybe a long while."

Tsubasa stared at her, caught off guard by the sentimental declaration. She wasn't sure where it came from, but looking into Kanade's eyes, she could tell the words were genuine. She could also tell that she felt the same way.

Tsubasa smiled in return. "Likewise, and I'd be happy to. I promise."


End file.
